ground state

noun, Physics.

the state of least energy of a particle, as an atom, or of a system of particles.

Also called ground level.

Origin

1925-30

Examples from the web for ground state

Another possibility is to cool the flakes to their mechanical ground state and use them as spinning qubits.
It is still higher than in the ground state, but not as much higher as the energy of the absorbed photon.

British Dictionary definitions for ground state

ground state

noun

the lowest energy state of an atom, molecule, particle, etc Compare excited (sense 4)

ground state in Medicine

ground state n.
The state of least possible energy in a physical system, as of atoms or molecules.

ground state in Science

ground state
The state of a physical system having the lowest possible potential energy. For example, an electron in the lowest energy orbital in a hydrogen atom is in a ground state. The ground state of a physical system tends to be stable unless energy is applied to it from the outside; states that are not the ground state have a tendency to revert to the ground state, giving off energy in the process. Compare excited state.