exciton

[ ik-sahy-ton, ek-si-ton ]

noun

, Physics.

1. a localized, mobile excited state of a crystal, consisting of an electron and a hole bound together.

exciton

/ ˈɛksaɪˌtɒn /

noun

1. a mobile neutral entity in a crystalline solid consisting of an excited electron bound to the hole produced by its excitation

Word History and Origins

Origin of exciton¹

1935–40; excit(ed) or excit(ation) + -on ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of exciton¹

C20: from excit ( ation ) + -on

Example Sentences

The photon bounces back and forth between the mirrors roughly a million times before it escapes, and as it bounces the photon blends with the exciton to form a polariton.

From Quanta Magazine

Many photons and excitons are caged and combined in this way, and these polaritons behave en masse like liquid light, which is frictionless and doesn’t scatter.

From Quanta Magazine

At low densities and high temperatures, excitons zip around very much like atoms in a gas.

From Nautilus

By now we can make excitons in large quantities in certain semiconductors and other materials.

From Nautilus

An exciton can even stick to a photon—a particle of light—and form something called a “polariton.”

From Nautilus