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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

• stimulated-emission adjective