excitation
/ˌɛksɪˈteɪʃ(ə)n
/noun [mass noun]
1 technical The application of energy to something, in particular:Pyrethroids attack the nervous system of insects, provoking excitation, paralysis and death....
- The increased density ends up requiring more energy for the same amount of excitation that would lead to the boiling of the water.
1.1 Physics The process in which an atom or other particle adopts a higher energy state when energy is supplied: thermal excitation...
- Simplified model fitting of the experimental data enabled to evaluate the spectroscopic parameters characterizing excitation and photoionization processes.
- In the Rydberg system, instead of shrinking the lattice constant to make the atoms overlap, you can simply increase the size of the atom by increasing its excitation.
- Made up of small numbers of gold or silver atoms, the nanoclusters are strongly fluorescent and have narrow excitation and emission spectra.
1.2 Physiology The state of enhanced activity of a cell, organism, or tissue which results from its stimulation: these neurotransmitters can produce excitation or inhibition...
- One of the photointermediates interacts with the G protein, resulting in the electrical excitation of a photoreceptor cell.
- This occurs at chemical synapses when neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic neuron and produce excitation or inhibition of the postsynaptic cell.
- In others, such as those controlling the diameter of a large blood vessel, excitation is by neurotransmitters released from autonomic nerve endings close to the cells, but not with structured synapses.
1.3The application of current to the winding of an electromagnet to produce a magnetic field: continuous rotation of the motor by sequential excitation of the phase windings [as modifier]: two parallel coils with opposing excitation windings...
- A barrier valve including an armature, longitudinally movable toward a pole core by excitation of an electrical winding.
- Theoretical models based on current injection membranes predict that excitation will occur for currents of all strengths once a threshold is exceeded.
- We can readily observe resonant behavior of MCs using excitation in alternated electric, electromagnetic, or acoustic fields.
1.4The application of a signal voltage to the control electrode of an electron tube or the base of a transistor.The photovoltaic signal continues to rise for 4.5 ps after excitation, and the voltage profile corresponds well with the population dynamics of the K state....
- From analyzing the recorded signal, both the excitation and response of the ground are obtained simultaneously.
2The action of exciting or the state of being excited; excitement: a state of sexual excitation...
- In general, this study's results suggest the woman's consent, or lack thereof, influenced the predictive utility of both sexual excitation and attraction to sexual aggression.
- Males have a lower threshold for sexual excitation, tend to perceive people and relationships in a more sexualized manner, and are more likely to interpret a variety of stimuli as signals of sexual intent.
- Only when a man engages in too close an association with young males who are either the object of sexual excitation or could easily lead to it do questions like these prove important in retrospect.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French, from late Latin excitatio(n-), from excitare 'rouse, call forth' (see excite).