absorption band

noun

: a dark band in an absorption spectrum

Examples of absorption band in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In their gaseous phase, many natural and man-made molecules, including ammonia, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and methanol, absorb photons when stimulated at terahertz frequencies, and those absorption bands can serve as chemical fingerprints. IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2024 In work that is now being prepared for publication, Meadows and her team show that a spectral absorption band from tetraoxygen (O4) loosely forms when O2 molecules collide. Quanta Magazine, 2 Feb. 2016 Diatomic oxygen also boasts strong absorption bands in the visible and near-infrared — the exact sensitivity range of both the $8 billion James Webb telescope and the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), a mission planned for the 2020s. Quanta Magazine, 2 Feb. 2016

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of absorption band was in 1852

Dictionary Entries Near absorption band

Cite this Entry

“Absorption band.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absorption%20band. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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