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atom Dictionary Terms

surface analysis by laser ionization
(SALI) A type of spectroscopy in which neutral atoms or molecules are ionized by an excimer laser beam and then measured by a time-of-flight mass spectrometer.
resonance radiation
That radiation emitted by an atom or molecule that has the same frequency as that of an incident particle; e.g., a photon....
resonance fluorescence
In atomic fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence emitted by an atom at a spectral line of a wavelength identical to that of...
periscope
An optical instrument designed to displace the line of sight in a vertical direction. For submarines and other military uses...
Zeeman effect
The splitting of energy levels of an atom, ion or molecule because of a magnetic field.
Rydberg atom
The term "Rydberg atom" refers to an atom in a highly excited state where one or more of its electrons are in a Rydberg...
isobar
One of a number of nuclides characterized by an identity between their mass numbers, but each having a different atomic...
mass spectroscope
An instrument that uses electromagnetic fields to sort out the relative masses of atoms and molecules.The same way an...
face-centered
With respect to a unit cell in a crystal structure, the property defining an atom located at the center of each face.
optical clock
An optical clock is a highly precise and advanced timekeeping device that relies on the oscillations of electromagnetic...
bandgap
In semiconductor physics, the term bandgap refers to the energy range in a material where no electronic states are allowed....
atomic absorption spectroscopy
The analysis of the atomic structure of a sample by means of a source radiation that is absorbed and emitted by the sample...
angstrom
An angstrom, symbolized by the Ångström or Å, is a unit of length used to express atomic and molecular...
blue diode laser
A blue diode laser is a type of semiconductor laser that emits light in the blue wavelength range of the electromagnetic...
nanotube
A nanotube, also known as a nanotubule or simply a tube-like structure, is a nanoscale cylindrical structure composed of...
tunneling
An observed effect of the ability of certain atomic particles to pass through a barrier that they cannot pass over because...
optical emission spectroscopy
In dry etching, a method of characterizing the composition of solid materials such as metal. Atoms in the OES technique are...
excitation
1. The process by which an atom acquires energy sufficient to raise it to a quantum state higher than its ground state. 2....
heterojunction
A junction between semiconductors that differ in their doping level conductivities, and also in their atomic or alloy...
spontaneous transition probability
The probability that an atom in one state will move spontaneously to a lower state within a given unit of time.
diode-pumped solid-state laser
A diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) is a type of laser system that uses semiconductor diode lasers to pump energy into...
luminescence
Luminescence is the emission of light that occurs without the involved substance undergoing a significant increase in...
optical transition
The process by which an atomic system changes from one energy level to another by either the emission or absorption of...
superelastic collision
Observed phenomenon in laser pulses in which a large number of excited electrons are created and in which multiphoton...
attosecond photonics sources
Attosecond photonics sources refer to devices or systems that generate extremely short pulses of light on the order of...
crystal field
The electrostatic field acting locally within a crystal as a result of the microscopic arrangement of atoms and ions in the...
nuclear fusion
In physics, nuclear fusion refers to the process in which two atomic nuclei come together to form a heavier nucleus,...
quantum mechanics
The science of all complex elements of atomic and molecular spectra, and the interaction of radiation and matter.
free-electron laser
A free-electron laser (FEL) is a type of laser that generates coherent, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation by using a...
solar cell
A device for converting sunlight into electrical energy, consisting of a sandwich of P-type and N-type semiconducting...
laser photochemistry
The study concerned with the stimulation of chemical activity by laser light as a result of the absorption of photons by a...
epitaxial
Epitaxial refers to the growth of a crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate in such a way that the orientation of the...
momentum transfer
In physics, momentum transfer is the amount of momentum transferred from one particle to another during particle collision...
multiplet
A group of related lines that represent transitions between two spectroscopic terms, each of which may be complex. Also in...
solid-state laser
A solid-state laser is a type of laser that uses a solid gain medium (as opposed to a liquid or gas) to produce coherent...
dislocation
The region of distorted atom configuration formed between the displaced and normal areas in a crystal when part of the...
helium-neon laser
The most commonly used gas laser. The HeNe laser has an emission that is determined by neon atoms by virtue of a resonant...
emission spectroscopy
A study of the energies and wavelengths of radiation emitted by atoms and molecules when particular physical conditions are...
graphene
Graphene is a two-dimensional allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal...
mass spectrometer
A device used to measure the masses and relative concentrations of atoms and molecules. It utilizes the Lorentz force...
activity
1. Synonymous with radioactivity. The intensity of a radioactive source illustrated as the number of atoms disintegrating in...
ablation threshold
The minimum energy required to induce atomic and molecular separation or displacement due to incident intense laser...
Bragg method of crystal analysis
A technique in which a beam of x-rays is directed against a crystal, the atoms of which, because of their lattice...
absorption line
The wavelength or frequency corresponding to an absorption resonance with a given molecular or atomic species. The line...
excimer
A contraction of "excited dimer." The term refers to an excited species made by combination of two identical atoms...
laser trapping
A technique for confining atoms, molecules or small particles within one or more laser beams. This can be accomplished...
Bragg scattering
The scattering of x-rays by the regularly spaced atoms in a crystal. The angle at which the reflection occurs is known as...
rare-earth elements
The series of elements having atomic numbers between 57 and 71 inclusive.
metal vapor laser
Devices in which the lasing medium is a vapor of metal atoms or ions, sometimes mixed with another gas. Metal vapor lasers...
resonance ionization spectroscopy
A type of ultrasensitive laser spectroscopy that can detect quantities as small as a single atom of some substances and that...
neutron radiography
The nondestructive analysis and recording of industrial components based on the absorption of relatively low-energy neutrons...
metastable state
An excited energy state of an atom or atomic system that has a longer lifetime than the ordinary excited state and typically...
impurity ion
An alien, electrically charged atomic system in a solid; an ion substituted for the constituent atom or ion in a crystal...
high harmonic generation
High harmonic generation (HHG) refers to a nonlinear optical process in which intense laser light interacts with a gaseous...
nonradiative transition
A nonradiative transition refers to a process in which an electron or an atom undergoes a change in its energy state without...
x-ray crystallography
The study of the arrangement of atoms in a crystal by means of x-rays.
nanotechnology
The use of atoms, molecules and molecular-scale structures to enhance existing technology and develop new materials and...
rotational transition
One of the types of change in the energy levels of molecules or atoms in a laser that can result in lasing action. Because...
electron
A charged elementary particle of an atom; the term is most commonly used in reference to the negatively charged particle...
Van der Waals
Van der Waals forces refer to the attractive or repulsive forces between molecules (or parts of molecules) that arise from...
excitation potential
The amount of energy required to raise the energy level of an atom; a necessity if the atom is to radiate energy. High...
frequency comb
A frequency comb is a precise and regular series of equally spaced spectral lines, or frequencies, that are generated with...
inertial fusion energy
Inertial fusion energy (IFE) refers to a proposed method of generating electricity by harnessing the energy released from...
Weissenberg method
The Weissenberg method, named after the German physicist Karl Weissenberg, is a technique used in x-ray crystallography for...
homogeneous broadening
The broadening of a laser's line width in a way that affects every atom (or molecule), and thus the whole system, in the...
four-level laser
A solid-state laser consisting of active atoms or ions of a transition metal, rare-earth metal or actinide, imbedded in a...
spectral series
A classification of particular regularities that occur in the spectra of many atoms.
Mossbauer effect spectroscopy
Spectroscopy characterized by the Mossbauer effect - recoilless emission and absorption of nuclear gamma radiation- which...
excited state
The stationary state of an ion, atom or molecule, above the ground state that is produced by the interaction with the...
eye test apparatus
Instruments used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to study the eye. There are, for instance, the ophthalmoscope to...
photomultiplier tube
A photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a highly sensitive vacuum tube that detects and amplifies low levels of light. It is widely...
magnetic resonance imaging
An imaging technique used in radiology that is based on the principles of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to produce...
lattice
In photonics, a lattice refers to a periodic arrangement of optical elements or structures, often on a microscopic or...
impurity level
In the context of optical materials, the term "impurity level" refers to the presence of foreign atoms or molecules within...
halide
In chemistry, a halide refers to a chemical compound containing one or more halogen atoms bonded to another element. The...
field ion microscope
An extremely powerful microscope that renders individual ionized atoms visible by using an electric field to propel the ions...
radial distribution method
A statistical analysis of facts obtained when the intensity of x-ray diffraction is calculated at different angles. In this...
microcomb
A microcomb, short for microresonator frequency comb, is a novel photonic device that generates a precise series of evenly...
dilatometer
An instrument used to measure expansion of solids, liquids and gases.
atomic time
Any system of time measurement that is based on atomic resonances. The transition times between the hyperfine levels of...
N-type material
A quadrivalent semiconductor material, with electrons as the majority charge carriers, that is formed by doping with donor...
cold atom
Cold atoms refer to atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures, typically in the microkelvin (µK) to...
laser-induced fluorescence
Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is a spectroscopic technique that involves using a laser to excite molecules or atoms,...
ion-beam sputtering
Ion-beam sputtering (IBS) is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique used for depositing thin films onto substrates. It...
thermal radiator
A source that emits radiant energy when its molecules or atoms are thermally excited.
absorption peak
An absorption peak refers to a sharp increase or spike in the absorption of electromagnetic radiation at a particular...
antiferromagnetism
The elimination of magnetic moments and decrease in magnetic susceptibility with a decrease in temperature due to the equal...
ground state
Also known as ground level. The lowest energy level of an atom or atomic system. A material in the ground state is not...
nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopy
A chemical detection technique used to measure molecules that have a magnetic dipole moment. The analysis is directed to...
phonon
A phonon is a quantum of vibrational energy associated with the periodic motion of atoms or molecules in a crystalline...
crystal lattice
A regular, periodic, geometric array of points corresponding to the positions of the atoms in a perfect crystal.
inhomogeneous broadening
Broadening of a laser's spectral linewidth when the resonance frequencies of the atoms (or molecules) of the medium are not...
Franck-Condon principle
The principle that electronic energy transitions occur at such speeds that the nuclei of the atoms in the molecular system...
metallorganic chemical vapor deposition
A method of growing single crystals in which atoms and molecules from gaseous organic compounds interact and form a layer on...
doping
In the context of materials science and semiconductor physics, doping refers to the intentional introduction of impurities...
direct-line fluorescence
With respect to atomic fluorescence spectroscopy, the fluorescence that is emitted by an atom at a spectral line of a...
atomic absorption spectrophotometer
An atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) is an analytical instrument used to determine the concentration of specific chemical...
radiation trapping
That process by which radiation spontaneously emitted by a volume of optical materials is resonantly reabsorbed within the...
laser active elements
Laser active elements typically refers to the substances or materials within a laser system that play a critical role in the...
keratometer
See color perception test equipment; eye test apparatus.
particle acceleration
Particle acceleration refers to the process by which charged particles, such as electrons or protons, gain kinetic energy...
Einstein coefficients
Three proportional coefficients labeled Am, Bmn, and Bnm, that respectively characterize the rate of spontaneous emission,...
laser isotope separation
A process of isolation of various atom vapor ions by means of tuning a laser source. For example, laser enrichment is...
quantum
The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the...
nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
That branch of spectroscopy that applies to the study of interactions between energy and atomic nuclei. The simultaneous...
reciprocal second (Hz)
The fundamental wavelength standard of time or frequency. An atomic standard, it is properly expressed as 9,192,631,770...
nanopositioning
Nanopositioning refers to the precise and controlled movement or manipulation of objects or components at the nanometer...
positronium
Basically, a hydrogen atom with two alterations, positronium is the lightest atom in the universe and has an extremely light...
laser cooling
A process and method by which manipulation and orientation of a given number of directed laser beams decreases the motion of...
thermal radiation
The emission of radiant energy in which the energy emitted originates in the thermal motion of the atoms or molecules of the...
photoluminescence
The state of optically excited luminescence. Luminescence refers to the light emitted by excited atoms or ions as they decay...
nuclear magnetic resonance
A phenomenon, exploited for medical imaging, in which the nuclei of material placed in a strong magnetic field will absorb...
absorption coefficient, absorption cross section
The transition cross section constant coefficient which defines the transition probability of absorption from ground to a...
scanning probe microscope
See atomic force microscope; magnetic force microscope; near-field scanning optical microscope; scanning tunneling...
homojunction
A junction between semiconductors that differ in their doping level conductivities but not in their atomic or alloy...
x-ray analysis
The series of processes used to identify and evaluate crystal structure by using crystalline solids to diffract x-rays. In...
ultrafast laser
An ultrafast laser is a type of laser that emits extremely short pulses of light with durations typically on the order of...
impact fluorescence
Fluorescence formed when atoms of one element collide with excited atoms of another.
vibrational transition
A vibrational transition refers to a change in the vibrational energy of a molecule. Molecules consist of atoms that are...
optical lattice
A periodic structure formed by intersecting or superimposed laser beams. These beams can trap atoms in low-potential...
nanostructured glass
A unique glass made up of nano-structured materials to create millimeter sized monolithic glass space-variant polarization...
emission spectrum
An emission spectrum is a graphical representation or a characteristic pattern of the wavelengths or frequencies of light...
magnetic resonance spectroscopy
A method of studying the chemical and physical properties of atoms and molecules (typically living tissue and chemical...
inertial confinement fusion
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a method of achieving nuclear fusion, a process where two atomic nuclei combine to...
Doppler broadening
The spreading of potentially equal radiation frequencies that results in broadening of the spectral line. This effect is...
metabolic imaging
Metabolic imaging refers to the visualization and quantification of metabolic processes within living organisms, tissues, or...
chemical vapor deposition equipment
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment refers to a class of specialized apparatus used in the process of chemical vapor...
metamerism
In colorimetry, the phenomenon in which spectrally different radiations produce the same color sensation for a given...
epitaxial deposition
Epitaxial deposition is a process used in semiconductor manufacturing and materials science to grow a thin crystalline...
synchrotron
A synchrotron is a type of particle accelerator that uses magnetic fields to steer charged particles, typically electrons or...
fusion ignition
Fusion ignition refers to the point in a controlled nuclear fusion reaction where the energy released by the fusion...
Auger effect
The radiation-free transition that takes place within an ion, in which inner-shell vacancies in neutral atoms are filled by...
quantum dots
A quantum dot is a nanoscale semiconductor structure, typically composed of materials like cadmium selenide or indium...
atomic emission spectrometry
Spectrometric analysis of the distinct and characteristic spectra of atoms of elements. The atoms are energized to emit...
gallium nitride
Gallium nitride (GaN) is a compound made up of gallium (Ga) and nitrogen (N). It is a wide-bandgap semiconductor material...
P-type material
A semiconductor material in which the dopants create holes as the majority charge carrier. It is formed by doping with...
Q machine
Device in which contact ionization of atomic particles and thermionic electron emission are used to produce magnetically...
photon burst detection of fluorescence
A type of laser spectroscopy used to measure short-lived isotopes by observing sudden bursts of fluorescence resulting from...
color center
A color center, in the context of materials science and condensed matter physics, refers to a specific type of...
optical pumping
The process whereby the number of atoms or atomic systems in a set of energy levels is changed by the absorption of light...
free radicals
Short-lived molecular or atomic particles, with an unpaired electron, that play an important part in many photochemical...
noble gas
A monatomic, chemically inert gas such as argon, neon, krypton and xenon.
diffraction grating
A diffraction grating is an optical component consisting of a surface with a periodic structure of equally spaced, parallel...
crystallography
The analysis of the atomic structures within crystals by means of x-ray diffraction.
line spectra
Spectra that originate from atoms; they are composed of lines having irregular spacing and intensity.
exciplex
The term "excimer," strictly used, refers to excited species made by combination of two identical moieties, atoms...
nitrogen vacancy
A nitrogen vacancy (NV) refers to a specific type of defect or impurity in a crystal lattice where a nitrogen atom replaces...
spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is a technique used in the study of interactions between matter and electromagnetic radiation. It involves...
multimodality imaging
A technique that combines two or more imaging processes in order to minimize the disadvantages within each of the...
physisorption
A type of adsorption in which the adsorbed layer is attached to the adsorbent surface by an attractive force between the...
atomic clock
An atomic clock is a highly precise timekeeping device that uses the vibrations or oscillations of atoms as a reference for...
chirality
Chirality is a property of certain molecules and objects in which they are non-superimposable on their mirror images. In...
linewidth
1. The range of frequencies or wavelengths over which radiations are absorbed or emitted in a transition between a specific...
excitation energy
The difference between the energy of an atom in its ground state and that of the same atom in its excited (quantum) state.
Bragg's law
The law expressing the condition under which a crystal will reflect a beam of x-rays with the greatest amount of distinction...
medical lasers
Medical lasers are devices that produce intense beams of light with specific characteristics and properties, which are used...
population inversion
The condition in which there are more atomic systems in the upper of two energy levels than in the lower, so stimulated...
optics of material
The area of optics that deals with the interaction of light with a given material. The optical properties of material are...
volumetric imaging
Volumetric imaging refers to the capture, visualization, and analysis of three-dimensional (3D) information from a volume of...
ionization potential
The amount of energy required for a particular kind of atom to remove an electron to infinite distance. The ionization...
ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine that focuses on the anatomy, physiology, and diseases of the eyes and visual system....
ion
An atom that has gained or lost one or more electrons and, as a result, carries a negative or positive charge.
actinide
Any of a series of radioactive elements with atomic numbers ranging from 89 to 103.
enhanced Faraday effect
The occurrence of very large rotations in transparent materials at weak magnetic fields as predicted in the classical...
photoelectron holography
A technique proposed for studying the atomic structure of crystals by measuring the interference pattern generated when the...
mass spectrum
A spectrum that displays the distribution in mass or in mass-to-charge ratio of ionized atoms, molecules or molecular parts....
atom optics
The area of optics in which the wave nature of a particle is exploited to carry out very accurate interferometry and other...
atomic fluorescence spectroscopy
The analysis of fluorescence emitted by discrete atoms, in flames, that have absorbed radiation from an external source. It...
Bose-Einstein condensate
A Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is a state of matter that forms at temperatures close to absolute zero. It is named after...
laser
A laser, which stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," is a device that produces coherent and...
halogen lamp
A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen, quartz-halogen, or quartz iodine lamp, is an incandescent lamp that uses a...
atomic force microscope
An atomic force microscope (AFM) is a high-resolution imaging and measurement instrument used in nanotechnology, materials...
fusion
1. The combination of the effects of two or more stimuli in any given sense to form a single sensation. With respect to...
sensitized fluorescence
The optical energy transfer between ions of differing atoms.
nano
An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other...
atomic scattering factor
The efficiency of scattering by an atom in a particular direction, expressed as: where AA is the amplitude of the wave from...
absorption
The transfer of energy from an incident electromagnetic energy field with wavelength or frequency to an atomic or molecular...
scanning tunneling microscope
A high-resolution imaging instrument that can detect and measure the positions of individual atoms on the surface of a...
ophthalmic instruments
A family of specialized instruments used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to study a patient's eyes and prescribe...
circular dichroism
Circular dichroism (CD) is a spectroscopic technique used to study the structural characteristics of chiral (asymmetric)...
endoscope
An endoscope is a medical device used for visualizing and examining the interior of hollow organs, body cavities, or...
germanium crystal
Germanium crystal refers to a crystalline form of the element germanium (Ge), which is a metalloid and semiconductor...
Paschen series
An array of lines in the infrared region of the emission spectrum of atomic hydrogen. Their wave numbers are expressed by...
laser-excited Shpol'skii spectroscopy
A type of fluorescence spectroscopy in which an excimer laser, a dye laser and a frequency-doubling device are used to...
alpha particle
A positively charged particle emitted from the nucleus of an unstable isotope, characterized by two protons and two...
GaAIAs laser
A GaAlAs laser is a type of semiconductor laser diode that emits light in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic...
magnetic force microscope
A variation of the atomic force microscope that operates by scanning a tiny ferromagnetic probe (or a magnetized tip) over a...

(187 results found)

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