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| | Exciton |
 | | An exciton is a bound state of an electron and a mathematically useful imaginary particle called an electron hole in an insulator (or semiconductor), or in other words, a Coulomb correlated electron/hole pair. |
 | | The missing electron in the valence band leaves a hole behind, of opposite electric charge, to which it is attracted by the Coulomb force. |
 | | As a result, the effect of the lattice potential can be incorporated into the effective masses of the electron and hole, and because of the lower masses and the screened Coulomb interaction, the binding energy is usually much less than a hydrogen atom, typically on the order of 0.1 eV. |
| www.worldhistory.com /wiki/E/Exciton.htm (582 words) |
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