Definition of metastable in English:
metastable
adjective ˌmɛtəˈsteɪb(ə)lˈmɛdəsteɪbəl
Physics 1(of a state of equilibrium) stable provided it is subjected to no more than small disturbances.
the amount of supercooling a liquid can accept while remaining in metastable equilibrium is limited
Example sentencesExamples
- This disappearance of a metastable state is precisely what happens at a ‘spinodal point’ in equilibrium statistical physics.
- A local minimum near the transition state in the free energy profile suggests metastable states that are populated with a very low probability at equilibrium.
- At very low membrane tension, small fusion pores can be trapped in a flickering metastable state.
- In this mode the upper level is pumped up before the lower level has had time to empty and, consequently, there is no room in the lower levels for the metastable states to decay to.
- What allows this metastable state to persist is the existence of an energy barrier.
- 1.1 (of a substance or particle) theoretically unstable but so long-lived as to be stable for practical purposes.
the occurrence of metastable olivine and deep earthquakes in subducting lithosphere
Example sentencesExamples
- In van der Waals' theory, the spinodals are the turning points in the loops of the phase diagram where a metastable liquid or gas becomes unstable.
- A plasma is an ionised gas containing ions, metastable species, radicals, neutrals and electromagnetic radiation.
- The compressed films are metastable at these pressures.
- The metastable film melts with no increase in area beyond the thermal expansion of the LE phase.
- Transformation of the monolayers involves a kinetic transition to a metastable state, analogous to the kinetic formation of metastable liquids.
Derivatives
noun ˌmɛtəstəˈbɪlɪti
Physics Indeed, the best calculations today confirm the metastability of this ring.
Example sentencesExamples
- To our knowledge, this is the first theoretical prediction of the metastability of the stalk itself.
- We suspect that this variety of measured values comes either from metastability effects or from differences in experimental conditions.
- The metastability is with respect to solid-liquid coexistence, that is, the solutions are supersaturated.
- A useful term to describe this is metastability: immune networks provide evidence for an ongoing process of individuation, itself a more or less chaotic process.
Definition of metastable in US English:
metastable
adjectiveˈmedəstābəlˈmɛdəsteɪbəl
Physics 1(of a state of equilibrium) stable provided it is subjected to no more than small disturbances.
the amount of supercooling a liquid can accept while remaining in metastable equilibrium is limited
Example sentencesExamples
- At very low membrane tension, small fusion pores can be trapped in a flickering metastable state.
- This disappearance of a metastable state is precisely what happens at a ‘spinodal point’ in equilibrium statistical physics.
- A local minimum near the transition state in the free energy profile suggests metastable states that are populated with a very low probability at equilibrium.
- In this mode the upper level is pumped up before the lower level has had time to empty and, consequently, there is no room in the lower levels for the metastable states to decay to.
- What allows this metastable state to persist is the existence of an energy barrier.
- 1.1 (of a substance or particle) theoretically unstable but so long-lived as to be stable for practical purposes.
the occurrence of metastable olivine and deep earthquakes in subducting lithosphere
Example sentencesExamples
- In van der Waals' theory, the spinodals are the turning points in the loops of the phase diagram where a metastable liquid or gas becomes unstable.
- A plasma is an ionised gas containing ions, metastable species, radicals, neutrals and electromagnetic radiation.
- The compressed films are metastable at these pressures.
- The metastable film melts with no increase in area beyond the thermal expansion of the LE phase.
- Transformation of the monolayers involves a kinetic transition to a metastable state, analogous to the kinetic formation of metastable liquids.