quantum jump
- Physics. an abrupt transition of a system described by quantum mechanics from one of its discrete states to another, as the fall of an electron in an atom to an orbit of lower energy.
- any sudden and significant change, advance, or increase.
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Origin of quantum jump
First recorded in 1925–30
Also called quantum leap.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
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advancebreakthroughinspirationjumptransilienceconversionmetamorphosistransformationupheavaltransfigurationquantum jump
- A change from one quantum state to another, as when an electron orbiting a nucleus moves from one shell to another with the loss or gain of a quantum of energy.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.