Meanings
plural eigenstates
- natural sciencesA dynamic quantum mechanical state whose wave function is an eigenvector that corresponds to a physical quantity.
In all quantum theories, basis vectors (which are typically eigenstates) are abstractions of the unit basis vectors along the 3D axes. A general state is a vector sum of certain amounts of each basis vector state.
2013, Robert D. Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory, 2nd edition, Fairfield, IA: Sandtrove Press, published 2018, →ISBN, §3.11.4, page 681 more example
Otherwise, in the case of pure physisorption, adatoms and very small adclusters would not be observed with the STM because the probability for the sharp eigenstates of the adparticles to lie within the 10 meV energy window ( given by the bias voltage ) would be considerably small.
1987, PDMS and Clusters, page 125
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂eyḱ-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂eh₂óyḱe
- Proto-Germanic*aiganą
- Proto-Germanic*aiganaz
- Proto-West Germanic*aigan
- Old High Germaneigan
- Middle High Germaneigen
- Germaneigen
- Englisheigen-
- Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*stéh₂-tu-s ~ *sth₂-téw-s
- Proto-Italic*status
- Latinstatu
- Old Frenchestat
- Middle Englishstat
- Englishstate
- Englisheigenstate
Translations
Danish egentilstand
- egentilstanddynamic quantum mechanical state
Italian autostato
- autostatodynamic quantum mechanical state
Lithuanian tikrinė būsena, grynoji būsena
- tikrinė būsenadynamic quantum mechanical state
- grynoji būsenadynamic quantum mechanical state
Polish stan własny
- stan własnydynamic quantum mechanical state
Portuguese estado próprio
- estado própriodynamic quantum mechanical state
Cite this entry
eigenstate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eigenstate
“eigenstate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eigenstate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eigenstate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eigenstate.
Source: eigenstate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.