exciton

American  

[ik-sahy-ton, ek-si-ton] / ɪkˈsaɪ tɒn, ˈɛk sɪˌtɒn /

noun

Physics.

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

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exciton British  

/ ˈɛksaɪˌtɒn /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of exciton

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

Example Sentences

As Dean's team tuned these parameters, they noticed an unexpected pattern linking exciton density and temperature.

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2026

During this process, light is absorbed by the material and its energy is handed around amongst the material's molecules as a so-called "triplet exciton."

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2024

"We hypothesized that, in an exciton, two positively charged holes are more strongly bound than an electron-and-hole pair," adds first author Shinya Takahashi.

From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2024

Doping may cause physical changes, but how the exciton complex -- a bound state of two positively-charged holes and one negatively-charged electron -- manifests in diamonds doped with boron has remained unconfirmed.

From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2024

In its research, the team made a surprising discovery: it found that certain defects to the system, introduced strategically, would improve exciton transfer rather than impede it.

From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2024