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exciton

American

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

noun

Physics.

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

exciton British

/ ˈɛksaɪˌtɒn /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of exciton

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

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

exciton

"Observing an insulating phase that melts into a superfluid is unprecedented. This strongly suggests that the low-temperature phase is a highly unusual exciton solid."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2026

In search of the perfect interface, they found a surprise: that an imperfect interface might be better for exciton transfer.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 27, 2024

In the process, the breaking up of an exciton leads to a loss of energy in the electron measured in the experiment.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 9, 2024

In their study, the researchers set themselves the challenge of investigating the hole of the exciton.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 9, 2024

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023