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Glite Dictionary
dipole moment

dipole moment

1 8.1
A measure of how far positive and negative charges are separated in a molecule
  • noun
  • /ˈdaɪpoʊl ˈmoʊmənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : momento dipolar
  • The dipole moment of the water molecule is crucial for its unique solvent properties.
  • induced dipole moment
  • electric dipole moment
  • net dipole moment

And so as the molecule vibrates, you have a dipole moment which is oscillating.

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Examples

  • A displacement of the electron from equilibrium induces a dipole moment in the plane, which in turn can polarize an adjacent quantum dot.

    Academic text (1994)

  • So long as the vibration can change the dipole moment, it is active in IR.

    Blog text (18)

  • The unit cells of pyroelectric materials have a dipole moment.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Here is the dipole moment, and E is the optical field amplitude.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The imposed field tends to induce a dipole moment of opposite sign.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Changes in the net dipole moment of certain materials form the basis for a broad range of IR detectors.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The dipole moment per unit volume of the material is called the spontaneous polarization PS.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The time-averaged induced dipole moment is clearly nonzero.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Curiously, the sign of the dipole moment turned out to be systematically opposite to that of B0.

    Academic text (2006)

  • But in most single crystals and ceramics, an increase in temperature causes the net dipole moment and, consequently, the spontaneous polarization to decrease.

    Academic text (2005)

Synonyms

electric dipole moment
vsdipole moment
  • Specialized
7.7

Amount that shows how far positive and negative electric charges are separated, equal to charge size times distance

emphasizes strength and direction of the charge separation

Surface Forms

dipole moment singular
dipole moments plural

Morphology

dipole + moment

The compound combines a technical noun 'dipole' (two opposite charges) with 'moment' in the sense of a quantitative measure, so its meaning as a measure of a dipole's strength and direction is compositionally derivable. However, this is domain-specific physics terminology and requires some subject knowledge of what 'moment' means in physical contexts, so it is not fully predictable for a general B1 learner.

Etymology

Dipole moment comes from the picture of a dipole—two opposite 'poles', one 'positive' and one 'negative', held a short distance apart. The word moment is like a small arrow that shows how strong that split is and which way it points, so the phrase means the size and direction of the charge separation.