Meanings
nounSchwinger effect (uncountable)
- uncountablenatural sciencesThe predicted spontaneous creation of particle-antiparticle pairs in the presence of an extremely strong electric field.
Origin
After physicist Julian Schwinger, who was the first to give a full theoretical description of the effect (in 1951).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Schwinger effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Schwinger%20effect
MLA
“Schwinger effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Schwinger%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Schwinger effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Schwinger%20effect.
Source: Schwinger effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.