hyperfine structure

[hahy-per-fahyn, hahy-]

noun

Physics.

1. the splitting of the lines of an atomic spectrum, produced by the angular momentum of the nucleus of the atom.

hyperfine structure

/ ˈhaɪpəˌfaɪn /

noun

1. the splitting of a spectral line of an atom or molecule into two or more closely spaced components as a result of interaction of the electrons with the magnetic moments of the nuclei Compare fine structure See also Zeeman effect

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyperfine structure¹

First recorded in 1925–30; hyper- + fine ¹

Example Sentences

Villemoes, P., Arnesen, A., Heijkenskjold, F. & Wannstrom, A. Isotope shifts and hyperfine structure of 134–138Ba ii by fast ion beam-laser spectroscopy.

Read more on Nature

Silverans, R. E., Borghs, G., de Bisschop, P. & van Hove, M. Hyperfine structure of the 5d 2DJ states in the alkaline-earth Ba ion by fast-ion-beam laser-rf spectroscopy.

Read more on Nature

Villemoes, P., Arnesen, A., Heijkenskjold, F., Kastberg, A. & Wannstrom, A. Hyperfine structure measurements of 151,153Eu ii with fast ion beam-laser spectroscopy.

Read more on Nature

The observation of hyperfine structure in atomic hydrogen by Rabi and co-workers1, 2, 3 and the measurement4 of the zero-field ground-state splitting at the level of seven parts in 1013 are important achievements of mid-twentieth-century physics.

Read more on Nature

Recently, tools have been developed that enable studies of the hyperfine structure of antihydrogen12—the antimatter counterpart of hydrogen.

Read more on Nature