hyperfine structure

[hahy-per-fahyn, hahy-]

noun Physics.

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

Compare fine structure.

Origin of hyperfine structure

First recorded in 1925–30; hyper- + fine¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for hyperfine structure

hyperfine structure

noun

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 nucleiCompare fine structure See also Zeeman effect

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