holon

  1. Noun.  (physics) One of two kinds of quasiparticle (the other being the spinon) that electrons in solids are able to split into during the process of spin–charge separation, when extremely tightly confined at temperatures close to absolute zero.
  2. Noun.  From the Greek term holos, which means "whole", with the suffix "on" suggesting a particle or part. The term "holon", is a structural family therapy term that implies the part and whole inevitably connected. Every holon is both a part and a whole, e.g.: an individual is part of a family, which is part of an extended family, which is part of a community, etc.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.