energy gap

British  

noun

1. physics the difference of energy between the bottom of the conduction band and the top of the valence band of the electrons in a crystalline solid. For values below about 2eV the substance is considered to be a semiconductor whilst for higher values it is considered to be an insulator

---

Example Sentences

This pairing creates an energy gap near the Fermi level called the superconducting gap.

From Science Daily

As Park explains, "When a material becomes superconducting, electrons move together as pairs rather than individually, and there's an energy 'gap' that reflects how they're bound. The shape and symmetry of that gap tells us the underlying nature of the superconductivity."

From Science Daily

Instead of heeding a memo from one of his pollsters urging him to focus on lowering the demand for oil, he put most of his effort into trying to make up the post–oil shock energy gap.

From Slate

"This allowed us to measure an unexpected energy gap -- the hallmark of an insulator."

From Science Daily

The authors' suspicion that the experimentally measured energy gap was a signature of a Mott insulating phase was confirmed by comparing experimental results with dynamical mean-field theory calculations.

From Science Daily