stimulated emission

American  

[stim-yuh-layt-id-i-mish-uhn] / ˈstɪm yəˌleɪt ɪd ɪˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

plural

stimulated emissions

1. Physics. Also called induced emission. the emission of a photon from an excited atom when an electron falls from a higher to a lower energy level after interacting with an incident photon whose energy equals the difference between the two levels, with the result that the emitted and incident photons have identical energy and emerge in phase and in the same direction, thereby amplifying the radiation. Stimulated emission is used to produce laser beams.

---

stimulated emission Scientific  

/ stĭm′yə-lā′tĭd /

1. The emission of electromagnetic radiation in the form of photons of a given frequency, triggered by photons of the same frequency. For example, an excited atom, with an electron in an energy orbit higher than normal, releases a photon of a specific frequency when the electron drops back to a lower energy orbit; if this photon strikes another electron in the same high-energy orbit in another atom, another photon of the same frequency is released. The emitted photons and the triggering photons are always in phase, have the same polarization, and travel in the same direction.

2. Also called induced emission

3. See also population inversion

---

Other Word Forms

• stimulated-emission adjective

Example Sentences

The researchers claim to have seen signs of this stimulated emission of Hawking radiation from the GW190521 remnant.

From Scientific American • Jan. 26, 2022

This is short for surface-plasmon amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.

From Economist • Aug. 31, 2017

The name laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, the process just described.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

In 1954, Dr. Townes and his students built a device that used energized ammonia molecules for the stimulated emission of microwave radiation, a device they called the maser.

From Washington Post • Jan. 28, 2015

"It means 'light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation'," Davenport explained.

From The Foreign Hand Tie by Garrett, Randall