ground state


nounPhysics.
  1. the state of least energy of a particle, as an atom, or of a system of particles.

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Origin of ground state

1
First recorded in 1925–30
  • Also called ground level .

Words Nearby ground state

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British Dictionary definitions for ground state

ground state

noun
  1. the lowest energy state of an atom, molecule, particle, etc: Compare excited (def. 4)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for ground state

ground state

  1. The state of a physical system having the lowest possible potential energy. For example, an electron in the lowest energy orbital in a hydrogen atom is in a ground state. The ground state of a physical system tends to be stable unless energy is applied to it from the outside; states that are not the ground state have a tendency to revert to the ground state, giving off energy in the process. Compare excited state.

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