degeneracy

(noun)

Two or more different quantum states are said to be degenerate if they are all at the same energy level.

Related Terms

Examples of degeneracy in the following topics:

  • Degeneracy

    • This is degeneracy.
    • If they are equal then we have a degeneracy, if not, we don't.
    • Therefore we have proved that if the ratio of the lengths of the sides of the drum is irrational, then there is no degeneracy.

  • Oscillator Strengths

    • Here we have included the possibility that the lower state has a $g_f$-fold degeneracy and we have summed over the degenerate upper states.
    • Except for the degeneracy factors for the two states, the Einstein coefficients will be the same, so we can define an oscillator strength for stimulated emission as well,

  • Thermal Distributions of Atoms

    • In thermal equilibrium the number of atoms in a particular state is proportional to $ge^{-\beta E}$ where $\beta=1/kT$ and $g$ is the statistical weight or degeneracy of the state (for $L-S-$ coupling $g=2(2J+1)$), so we find that

  • The Third Law

    • Instead of being 0, entropy at absolute zero could be a nonzero constant, due to the fact that a system may have degeneracy (having several ground states at the same energy).

  • Einstein Coefficients

    • You can think of the statistical weight as the number of ways that the atom can be in the particular state, the degeneracy of the state.

  • Another velocity-dependent force: the Zeeman effect

    • This is called degeneracy.

  • Energies of Electron States

    • Actually, it is relativistic effects that remove this degeneracy.