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Glite Dictionary
⚛️ Sudden atomic change 📈 Big improvement
quantum jump

quantum jump

8.5
A sudden change in an electron's energy level when it gains or loses energy
  • noun
  • /ˈkwɒntəm dʒʌmp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : salto cuántico
  • The electron made a quantum jump from the ground state to an excited state after absorbing a photon.

Examples

  • The electron made a quantum jump to a higher energy level.

  • When photons are absorbed, they cause a quantum jump in the atom.

  • A quantum jump occurs when an atomic particle transitions instantaneously between energy levels.

  • Physicists have long studied the mechanics behind each quantum jump in spectroscopic experiments.

  • The electron made a quantum jump from the ground state to an excited state after absorbing a photon.

  • A quantum jump occurs when an atomic particle transitions instantaneously between energy levels.

  • Physicists have long studied the mechanics behind each quantum jump in spectroscopic experiments.

Synonyms

leap
vsquantum jump
131 3.2

A sudden big change or increase

applies specifically to atomic level shifts with accompanying energy change
jump
vsquantum jump
76 3.5

A sudden change from one state or level to another

refers specifically to atomic or molecular level changes with energy exchange

Surface Forms

quantum jump singular
quantum jumps plural

Morphology

quantum + jump

The word 'jump' clearly conveys a rapid increase, and 'quantum' (a discrete amount) suggests a distinct change, so a learner who knows both words could infer some kind of sudden or discrete change. However, the conventional idiomatic sense of a large or significant advance is a metaphorical extension from physics and not directly predictable from 'quantum' as given, so the meaning is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Quantum jump comes from early physics. In old atomic models an electron was thought to suddenly move from one energy level to another and give off light, so scientists called that quick move a quantum jump and it now means 'a sudden change in an atom'.