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 the atom interacts with, or measures, the particle, the entire system ends up in a superposition of the particle flashing and the atom absorbing this light and entering a higher energy state, and the particle not flashing and the atom remaining in its ground state.
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Anil Ananthaswamy, Scientific American, 25 June 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for ground state 
Anil Ananthaswamy, Scientific American, 25 June 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for ground state
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 7 Jul. 2024.
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