recombination
noun, proper noun
Forms recombinations
- noun Combination a second or subsequent time.
- noun (genetics) The formation of genetic combinations in offspring that are not present in the parents.
- noun (chemistry) The reverse of dissociation.
- noun (astrophysics) The process by which the plasma of electrons and protons produced after the Big Bang condensed into hydrogen, or the epoch in which this process occurred.
- proper noun (cosmology) The epoch of recombination of the Universe, where atomic matter formed from free particles, combining protons with electrons. One of the Ages of the Universe. The cosmic era when neutral hydrogen formed out of the cosmic soup of protons and electrons in plasma, that condensed out of the energy of the Big Bang. This era produces the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB).
Synonyms
Age of Recombination Epoch of Recombination Era of Recombination Recombination Age Recombination Epoch Recombination Era
Etymology
The name is slightly inaccurate and is given for historical reasons: in fact the electrons and atomic nuclei were combining for the first time.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Combination a second or additional time.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “recombination”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details