Wiktionary
n. (context physics English) the object that results when an electron (or hole) in the conduction band of a crystalline insulator or semiconductor polarizes the lattice in its vicinity
Wikipedia
A polaron is a quasiparticle used in condensed matter physics to understand the interactions between electrons and atoms in a solid material. The polaron concept was first proposed by Lev Landau in 1933 to describe an electron moving in a dielectric crystal where the atoms move from their equilibrium positions to effectively screen the charge of an electron, known as a phonon cloud. This lowers the electron mobility and increases the electron's effective mass.
The general concept of a polaron has been extended to describe other interactions between the electrons and ions in metals that result in a bound state, or a lowering of energy compared to the non-interacting system. Major theoretical work has focused on solving Fröhlich and Holstein Hamiltonians. This is still an active field of research to find exact numerical solutions to the case of one or two electrons in a large crystal lattice, and to study the case of many interacting electrons.
Experimentally, polarons are important to the understanding of a wide variety of materials. The electron mobility in semiconductors can be greatly decreased by the formation of polarons. Organic semiconductors are also sensitive to polaronic effects, which is particularly relevant in the design of organic solar cells that effectively transport charge. The electron phonon interaction that forms Cooper pairs in low-T superconductors ( type-I superconductors) can also be modeled as a polaron, and two opposite spin electrons may form a bipolaron sharing a phonon cloud. This has been suggested as a mechanism for Cooper pair formation in high-T superconductors ( type-II superconductors). Polarons are also important for interpreting the optical conductivity of these types of materials.
The polaron, a fermionic quasiparticle, should not be confused with the polariton, a bosonic quasiparticle analogous to a hybridized state between a photon and an optical phonon.
Usage examples of "polaron".
A second later, the interface blanked out, but the station's sensors picked up evidence of the powerful blast, much more powerful man could have been caused by a Jem'Hadar striker's phased polaron beam.
He could see dark streaks of polaron damage all across the section's hull, visually warped by the disrupted shields.
He reached for the control to send the shuttle into warp, just as the Jem’Hadar’s phased polaron weapons strafed his ship.
The hull had been blistered by the polaron beam, the vessel’s pitching and yawing indicating severe damage to its stabilizers, and life support was barely functioning.
He had been monitoring the polaron bursts that put the Petraw in check and so far everything ran with textbook efficiency.
What surprised him was that this was one of the phased polaron beam control rooms, not the central computer.