alapállapotú

The term "alapállapotú" is a Hungarian adjective derived from "alap" meaning base or fundamental, and "állapot" meaning state or condition. Therefore, "alapállapotú" translates literally to "in a base state" or "in a fundamental condition." In its most common usage, it refers to the lowest energy state of a system, particularly in physics and chemistry.

In quantum mechanics, the ground state is the state with the minimum possible energy. For an atom or molecule, this is the state where its electrons occupy the lowest available energy levels. Systems naturally tend towards their ground state as it represents the most stable configuration. When a system is in its ground state, it does not readily emit energy.

Conversely, states with higher energy than the ground state are referred to as excited states. A system can be promoted from its ground state to an excited state by absorbing energy, such as from a photon or through collisions. When an excited system returns to its ground state, it typically releases the excess energy, often as light. Understanding the ground state is crucial for predicting the behavior and properties of matter, including chemical reactivity and spectroscopic characteristics.