hollow atom

[¦häl·ō ′ad·əm]

(atomic physics)

An atom whose electrons are in highly excited states, leaving the states of lower energy (in which the electron is, on average, closer to the nucleus) vacant.

References in periodicals archive ?

The result is a highly excited form of matter called a hollow atom. When electrons refill the vacancies, they generate X-rays.

New path toward X-ray lasers found

"Right now, we're investigating the details of how a hollow atom is formed, how fast it's formed and how fast it decays.

Hollow excitement energizes atomic physics

In its short life, the laser already has helped scientists create "hollow atoms" after stripping atoms such as neon completely bare of their electrons from the inside out.

Stanford University (Palo Alto CA) researchers said they've built the world's most powerful X-ray laser, which they hope will lead to new discoveries in drug development, energy production and computer science

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