Meanings
plural quantum limits
- quantum mechanicsThe limit on measurement accuracy at quantum scales due to back-action effects.
"This book is essential reading for all scientists and engineers the potential applications of technology near the quantum limit."
1995, Vladimir Borisovich Braginskiĭ, Farid Ya. Khalili, Quantum Measurement, →ISBN, page i - spectroscopyThe shortest wavelength in an X-ray spectrum.
"The voltage and wave-length at the quantum limit of the spectrum under investigation are denoted by ν₀ and λ₀."
1935, Donald Stover Piston, The Polarization of X-rays from Thin Targets, page 4
Origin
The spectroscopic sense is first attested in the 1920s; the measurement sense was coined by Vladimir Braginsky in a 1967 paper, and was originally restricted to the study of gravitational waves.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
quantum limit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quantum%20limit
“quantum limit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quantum%20limit. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “quantum limit,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quantum%20limit.
Source: quantum limit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.