fine structure
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Related to fine structure: hyperfine structure
fine structure
(fīn)n.
1. Physics The splitting of atomic spectral lines into closely spaced groups around a single wavelength, caused by the magnetic moments of orbiting electrons in the nuclei.
2. Biology See ultrastructure.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fine structure
n
(General Physics) the splitting of a spectral line into two or more closely spaced components as a result of interaction between the spin and orbital angular momenta of the atomic electrons. Compare hyperfine structure
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
fine′ struc′ture
(faɪn)n.
1. a group of lines that are observed in the spectra of certain elements, as hydrogen.
2. the aggregate of components of the cytoskeleton.
[1915–20]
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Noun | 1. | fine structure - the presence of groups of closely spaced spectrum lines observed in the atomic spectrum of certain elements; "the fine structure results from slightly different energy levels" spectrum line - an isolated component of a spectrum formed by radiation at a uniform frequency atomic spectrum - (physics) a spectrum of radiation caused by electron transitions within an atom; the series of spectrum lines is characteristic of the element |
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