rubidium

noun

ru·​bid·​i·​um rü-ˈbi-dē-əm How to pronounce rubidium (audio)
: 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of rubidium was in 1861

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 How to pronounce rubidium (audio)
: a soft silvery metallic element that reacts violently with water see element

Medical Definition

rubidium

noun
ru·​bid·​i·​um rü-ˈbid-ē-əm How to pronounce rubidium (audio)
: 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!