de-excite

American  

[dee-ik-sahyt] / ˌdi ɪkˈsaɪt /

Or deexcite

verb (used with object)

de-excited, de-exciting

1. to cause (an atom) to fall from an excited energy level to a lower energy level.

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verb (used without object)

de-excited, de-exciting

1. to become de-excited.

Other Word Forms

• de-excitation noun
• deexcitation noun

Etymology

Origin of de-excite

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Atoms that have absorbed specific photons from a passing beam of white light and have thus become excited generally de-excite themselves and emit that light again in a very short time.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Once excited, an atom or molecule will usually spontaneously de-excite quickly.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Once it is excited, the atom can de-excite in several ways, one of which is to re-emit a photon of the same energy as excited it, a single step back to the ground state.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

When the anode’s atoms de-excite, they emit characteristic electromagnetic radiation.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Figure 30.37 One atom in the metastable state spontaneously decays to a lower level, producing a photon that goes on to stimulate another atom to de-excite.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015