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

"While the changes in the atomic structure are very small, this reaction drastically alters the way these minerals absorb infrared light, which allowed identification of this new mineral on Mars using CRISM."

From Science Daily

"Since there's really no other way you can see the atomic structure of these defects, this is going to be a really important characterization tool for debugging and fault-finding in computer chips, especially at the development stage," said David Muller, the Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Engineering in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering, who led the project.

From Science Daily

The simpler and more reduced the atomic structure of a material, the longer the quantum transition lasted.

From Science Daily

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

This happens because of a topological property of PtBi2 that arises from how electrons interact with the material's orderly atomic structure.

From Science Daily