excited state
Atom absorbs photon
An excited state is a condition in which an atom, molecule, or other system has absorbed energy and risen above its lowest energy configuration (the ground state).
Electrons jump to higher orbitals, nuclei gain rotational energy, or particles become unstable.
Systems in excited states tend to release energy and return to ground state: The excited state of neon produces the characteristic red glow.
Lasting only briefly
- metastableStable but not permanently
- unstableProne to sudden change
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- lifetimeDuration of existence
half-life · fleeting · transitory · ephemeral · evanescent · dissipating · quenching · cascade
Negative subatomic particle
- orbitalRevolving around another
- energy levelAmount of vitality available
- absorptionProcess of taking in
- transitionChange from one state
wavefunction · superposition · eigenstate · degeneracy · spin · photon · quantum number · singlet
Light emitted after absorption
- phosphorescenceHeatless delayed light emission
- luminescenceHeatless light emission
- photoluminescenceLight emission after absorption
- spectral lineWavelength marking atomic transition
wavelength · electroluminescence · bioluminescence · chemiluminescence · light-emitting · monochromatic · recombination · relaxation
short-lived
Lasting only briefly
- metastableStable but not permanently
- unstableProne to sudden change
- decayGradual organic breakdown
lifetime · half-life · fleeting · transitory · ephemeral · evanescent · dissipating · quenching · cascade · spontaneous
electron
Negative subatomic particle
- orbitalRevolving around another
- energy levelAmount of vitality available
- absorptionProcess of taking in
transition · wavefunction · superposition · eigenstate · degeneracy · spin · photon · quantum number · singlet · triplet
fluorescence
Light emitted after absorption
- phosphorescenceHeatless delayed light emission
- luminescenceHeatless light emission
- photoluminescenceLight emission after absorption
spectral line · wavelength · electroluminescence · bioluminescence · chemiluminescence · light-emitting · monochromatic · recombination · relaxation
- atomic physicsatom, atoms, atomic nucleus, electron, atomic number
- atomic scienceatom, electron, proton, neutron, nucleus
- photochemistryphotochemistry, light absorption, photon, photons, fluorescence
- atomic propertiesatomic number, atomic mass, atomic weight, electronegativity, valence electrons
- jugglingcascade, juggling balls, juggling clubs, passing, catches
- quantum statesqubit, singlet, triplet, entangled, coherent
excited stateground state
Lowest possible energy configuration
rest state · equilibrium state · relaxed state · equilibrium
state, excited, excite, exciting, excitedly, excitable, unexciting, excites, overexcited