QUANTUM

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Irregular inflected form: quanta

I. (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(physics) the smallest discrete quantity of some physical property that a system can possess (according to quantum theory)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("quantum" is a kind of...):

amount; measure; quantity (how much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify)

Domain category:

natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "quantum"):

quasiparticle (a quantum of energy (in a crystal lattice or other system) that has position and momentum and can in some respects be regarded as a particle)

Derivation:

quantal (of or relating to a quantum or capable of existing in only one of two states)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A discrete amount of something that is analogous to the quantities in quantum theory

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("quantum" is a kind of...):

quantity (the concept that something has a magnitude and can be represented in mathematical expressions by a constant or a variable)

Derivation:

quantal (of or relating to a quantum or capable of existing in only one of two states)

Credits

Context examples:

At this level, phenomena are controlled primarily by Coulombic forces, quantum mechanics, and the random thermal motion of particles.

(Nanoscale Phenomena, NCI Thesaurus)

The way we represent the universe and its history are described by Einstein's equations of general relativity, Newton's universal gravitation and quantum mechanics.

(There May Be No Dark Matter, Dark Energy in Universe, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics, and spectroscopy are some areas of chemistry comprising the bulk of physical chemistry.

(Physical Chemistry, NCI Thesaurus)

Motexafin lutetium preferentially accumulates in tumor cells due to their increased rates of metabolism and absorbs light, forming an extended high energy conformational state that produces high quantum yields of singlet oxygen, resulting in local cytotoxic effects.

(Motexafin lutetium, NCI Thesaurus)

Researchers believe such quantum information networks would be extremely secure and could also allow new quantum computers to work together to complete problems that are currently unsolvable.

(Key Tech for Quantum Communications Offered by Implanting Diamonds with Flaws, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

These new states, known as the fractional quantum Hall effect, arise from the complex interactions of electrons both within and across graphene layers.

(Research reveals exotic quantum states in double-layer graphene, National Science Foundation)

“The smallest fluctuation or deviation will corrupt the quantum information contained in the phases and currents of the loops,” said Lepage.

(Quantum state of single electrons controlled by ‘surfing’ on sound waves, University of Cambridge)

Having this capacity enables it to control the dynamics of quantum dots involved in the process and mimic how neurons respond to stimuli.

(Transistor that mimics neurons developed, SciDev.Net)

The newly discovered behavior is important because quantum materials with very large spin-orbit interaction are popular candidates for new materials and exotic superconductivity.

(Iridium 'loses its identity' when interfaced with nickel, National Science Foundation)

The key challenge in creating quantum repeaters has been finding a material that could both store and transmit qubits.