ground state
noun
: the state of a physical system (as of an atomic nucleus or an atom) having the least energy of all the possible states
called also ground level
Examples of ground state in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When cooled, these complex systems are content to settle not in their ground state, but rather at a nearby low energy level, known as a local minimum energy level.
—
Quanta Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
Scientists have concluded that finding a system’s ground state is hard for both classical and quantum computers.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
So on average the flipping takes the first qubit from its excited state to its ground state and draws energy out of the first qubit.
—Joseph Calamia, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
Both the actual hardware and the simulators all showed a similar behavior, in that the energy gap between the system and its ground state decayed exponentially as a function of annealing time.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 19 Apr. 2023
Once the system reached ground state, the team created a phonon, a minuscule unit of vibrating energy.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2010
When these excited atoms eventually return to their normal ground state, the excess energy from the collision shoots off in the form of vibrant light.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 30 Mar. 2023
When its energy is transferred to the annihilator, the sensitizer returns to its ground state without releasing light.
—Tracy H. Schloemer, IEEE Spectrum, 19 Sep. 2023
This change means the BEC's quantum state has jumped from its ground state to its first excited state.
—Charles D. Brown Ii, Scientific American, 16 May 2023
Quanta Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
Scientists have concluded that finding a system’s ground state is hard for both classical and quantum computers.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
So on average the flipping takes the first qubit from its excited state to its ground state and draws energy out of the first qubit.
—Joseph Calamia, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
Both the actual hardware and the simulators all showed a similar behavior, in that the energy gap between the system and its ground state decayed exponentially as a function of annealing time.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 19 Apr. 2023
Once the system reached ground state, the team created a phonon, a minuscule unit of vibrating energy.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2010
When these excited atoms eventually return to their normal ground state, the excess energy from the collision shoots off in the form of vibrant light.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 30 Mar. 2023
When its energy is transferred to the annihilator, the sensitizer returns to its ground state without releasing light.
—Tracy H. Schloemer, IEEE Spectrum, 19 Sep. 2023
This change means the BEC's quantum state has jumped from its ground state to its first excited state.
—Charles D. Brown Ii, Scientific American, 16 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ground state.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Ground state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20state. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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