excited state
noun
: a state of a physical system (such as an atomic nucleus, an atom, or a molecule) that is higher in energy than the ground state
Examples of excited state in a Sentence
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Each wavelength generates a different excited state.
—
Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Physicists have observed that a proton’s excited states, or resonances, remain influential even when probed at very high energies, a finding that revises previous expectations about the building blocks of matter.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025
When cosmic rays — including, in part, plain old protons from the Sun’s solar wind — strike the Moon, the recoil from those heavy elements knocks them into an excited state.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 4 Sep. 2025
The different techniques for measuring the lifetime of neutrons would then give different answers because one favors neutrons in an excited state over those at their lowest energy level.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 25 Dec. 2024
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Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Physicists have observed that a proton’s excited states, or resonances, remain influential even when probed at very high energies, a finding that revises previous expectations about the building blocks of matter.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025
When cosmic rays — including, in part, plain old protons from the Sun’s solar wind — strike the Moon, the recoil from those heavy elements knocks them into an excited state.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 4 Sep. 2025
The different techniques for measuring the lifetime of neutrons would then give different answers because one favors neutrons in an excited state over those at their lowest energy level.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 25 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for excited state
Cite this Entry
“Excited state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excited%20state. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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