quasiparticle

American  

[kwey-zahy-pahr-ti-kuhl, kwey-sahy-, kwah-see, -zee-] / ˌkweɪ zaɪˈpɑr tɪ kəl, ˌkweɪ saɪ-, ˌkwɑ si, -zi- /

noun

Physics.

1. an entity, as an exciton or phonon, that interacts with elementary particles, but does not exist as a free particle.

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Etymology

Origin of quasiparticle

First recorded in 1955–60; quasi- + particle

Example Sentences

Although it behaves like a single particle, this quasiparticle arises from the shared motion of the impurity and its surroundings.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

Inside a stark black building with tinted windows, Google researchers attempt to engineer the quasiparticle on supercooled chips encased in chilling systems that look like chandeliers.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 20, 2023

An exciton is a quasiparticle which exists when an electron and the hole it is bound to becomes excited by light or another source of energy.

From Science Daily • Sep. 18, 2023

Pairs of the quasiparticle could encode information in their memory of how they have circled around one another.

From Nature • Jul. 2, 2020

An electron is an indivisible unit—you cannot slice one into thirds—but a group of electrons in the right state can produce a so-called quasiparticle with a 1/3 charge.

From Scientific American • May 25, 2018