free electron
1
4.9
- noun
- /fri ˈɛlɛktrɒn/
- Specialized
:
electrón libre
- The conductivity of a material relies on the availability of free electrons to carry current.
- density of free electrons
- number of free electrons
- generate free electrons
So think people still wanted an X-ray laser, We looked at the possibility of doing it using free electrons.
- So think people still wanted an X-ray laser, We looked at the possibility of doing it using free electrons.
Examples
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To produce the observed radio pulse, the density of free electrons generated by the "ionizer" must grow very rapidly.
Academic text (2006) -
In the illuminated region, the density of free electrons increases, which means that the conductivity increases and the resistivity decreases.
Academic text (1998) -
The free electrons jump from atom to atom along the copper at the speed of light.
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That layer has a high concentration of ions and free electrons and is able to reflect radio waves.
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To increase the number of free electrons within the silicon, another element, such as phosphorus, is added to the silicon.
Academic text (2011) -
In the interior of the Sun, where the density is high, scattering of light by free electrons is the prime obstruction to light emerging from the solar interior.
Academic text (2004) -
In metals, the presence of free electrons allows electricity to flow easily.
-
In a conductor, free electrons can move freely under the influence of an electric field.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning — an electron that is not bound and can move freely — follows directly from combining 'free' (not bound) with 'electron' (a negatively charged particle). This adjective+noun composition is compositional and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the basic meaning (though detailed electrical behavior is technical).
Etymology
Free electron comes from a simple image of an electron that is free—not stuck to an atom and able to move like a person walking down a street. So a free electron is an electron that can move through a metal and help carry 'electricity'.