ballistic transport

noun

physics

: a phenomenon in physics where electrons travel at high speeds within a medium (such as a semiconductor) without scattering off of obstacles (such as atoms or other electrons)

Small conventional devices have been demonstrated to enter an ultra-high-speed mode of conduction called ballistic transport.—

Predicasts Technology Update, 29 Jan. 1983

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of ballistic transport was in 1979

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ballistic transport.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballistic%20transport. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation