atomic structure

American  

noun

Physics.

1. the structure of an atom, theoretically consisting of a positively charged nucleus surrounded and neutralized by negatively charged electrons revolving in orbits at varying distances from the nucleus, the constitution of the nucleus and the arrangement of the electrons differing with various chemical elements.

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atomic structure British  

noun

1. the concept of an atom as a central positively charged nucleus consisting of protons and neutrons surrounded by a number of electrons. The number of electrons is equal to the number of protons: the whole entity is thus electrically neutral

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Etymology

Origin of atomic structure

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

To investigate how these materials respond to light, graduate student Mansha Dubey directed laser light onto perovskite crystals and monitored how their atomic structure shifted using X-ray measurements.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

These powerful facilities allowed scientists to squeeze water to pressures exceeding 1.5 million atmospheres and heat it to several thousand degrees Celsius, all while capturing snapshots of its atomic structure within trillionths of a second.

From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2026

Each node is a very small quantum computer, made out of a sliver of diamond that has a defect in its atomic structure called a silicon-vacancy center.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

After cooling the nodes to close to absolute zero, light is sent through the first node and, by nature of the silicon vacancy center's atomic structure, becomes entangled with it.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

James Chadwick’s discovery of the neutron in early 1932 posed questions about atomic structure and behavior that could not be fully processed without an understanding of chemistry in addition to physics.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik