positronium

[poz-i-troh-nee-uhm]

noun

Physics.

1. a short-lived atomic system consisting of a positron and an electron bound together.

positronium

/ ˌpɒzɪˈtrəʊnɪəm /

noun

1. physics a short-lived entity consisting of a positron and an electron bound together. It decays by annihilation to produce two or three photons

Word History and Origins

Origin of positronium¹

First recorded in 1945; positron + -ium; coined by Arthur E. Ruark (1899–1979), U.S. physicist

Word History and Origins

Origin of positronium¹

C20: from _positron + _-ium

Example Sentences

Positronium can generate huge amounts of energy.

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So what exactly is positronium?

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Discovering why there is now more matter in the Universe now than antimatter - and therefore why we exist - will take us a long way toward a new, more complete theory of how the Universe evolved, and positronium could be the key, according to Lisa Gloggler, a Phd student working on the project.

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One of the first experiments frozen positronium could be used for is to see if its antimatter part follows Einstein's Theory of General Relativity in the same way as the matter part.

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The diagram below shows why positronium is so unique.

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