Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

laser trap

American  

noun

plural

laser traps

  1. atom trap.

laser trap Scientific  

  1. A device that uses magnetic coils and lasers with tunable frequencies to suspend atoms or particles in a small region of space and to slow them down, reducing their temperature. Laser traps have been used to form Bose-Einstein condensates.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When the atoms were released from the laser trap, they expanded, with some displaying negative mass.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2017

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.