ScienceAugust 20, 2026

strontium

STRON-tee-um

Definition

A soft, silver-white alkaline earth metal that is highly reactive and was used in this study as the specific element trapped by lasers to create a quantum system.

Etymology

The word is named after the Scottish village of Strontian, where the mineral containing the element was first discovered in 1790.

In the news

In this experiment, researchers used optical tweezers to trap strontium atoms in a line, allowing them to study quantum behavior and test theoretical predictions about energy levels.

Caltech Physicists Use Advanced Quantum Technologies to Test Decades-Old Theory Predictions

Read the full article ↗

Pasadena Now

Related words

bipedal

Referring to an animal that uses two limbs to move or walk.

Science

blebbing

The act of forming or extending a small, blister-like protrusion or bubble-shaped…

Science

cephalopod

A marine mollusk of the class Cephalopoda, characterized by a distinct head, a set of…

Science

conformal

Relating to a mathematical property where a transformation preserves angles locally, used…

Science

kinematic

Relating to the study of motion in objects without reference to the forces that cause…

Science

tricritical

Referring to a specific, more complex type of phase transition point in a physical system…

Science

Learn words like this every day

Meet new words every morning.

Newspoken pulls carefully chosen words from the day’s news — with clear definitions, context, and light review that makes them stick. Get it on your phone.