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rubidium
noun
ru·bid·i·um
rü-ˈbi-dē-əm
: a soft silvery metallic element of the alkali metal group that reacts violently with water and bursts into flame spontaneously in air see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of rubidium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To create the Rydberg atoms, energy is added to a rubidium atom using lasers.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
The scientists used microwave pulses to analyze the behavior of the rubidium atoms to use them as atomic clocks.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Dec. 2022
In the new study, researchers experimented with rubidium atoms trapped inside a cavity and separated into two groups of about 100,000 atoms each.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Dec. 2022
The technique makes use of a very cold gas (either lithium or rubidium) trapped in a magnetic field.
—Jackie Appel, Popular Mechanics, 4 Sep. 2023
Once cooled, a series of three laser flashes are shone on the atoms, creating matter waves in the rubidium atoms.
—Dhananjay Khadilkar, Ars Technica, 16 Dec. 2022
One table is responsible for producing laser light for trapping, cooling and imaging rubidium atoms.
—Charles D. Brown Ii, Scientific American, 16 May 2023
These objects begin life as an ordinary atom, such as rubidium, but are then excited so that the outermost electron is forced to orbit the nucleus at a great distance.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022
Incoming photons can tweak the quantum spin of a silicon electron, creating a potentially stable memory; in a 2020 Nature paper, his team reported catching and storing quantum states for more than one-fifth of a second, far longer than in the rubidium memory.
—Gabriel Popkin, Science | AAAS, 3 June 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rubidium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Latin rubidus red, from rubēre
First Known Use
1861, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near rubidium
Cite this Entry
“Rubidium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rubidium. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.
Kids Definition
rubidium
noun
ru·bid·i·um
rü-ˈbid-ē-əm
: a soft silvery metallic element that reacts violently with water see element
Medical Definition
rubidium
noun
ru·bid·i·um
rü-ˈbid-ē-əm
: a soft silvery metallic element that decomposes water with violence and bursts into flame spontaneously in air
—symbol Rb
see Chemical Elements Table
More from Merriam-Webster on rubidium
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rubidium
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