(ˌ)lōˈrentsēən, (ˌ)lȯˈ- adjective
Usage: usually capitalized L
Etymology: H.A. Lorentz + English -ian
: of, relating to, or being a function that relates the intensity of radiation emitted by an atom at a given frequency to the peak radiation intensity, that gives the distribution of the frequencies emitted, that resembles a normal curve but builds up and drops off more gradually, and that has the form I( v ) = I o (γ/2π) / (( v - v o )² + (γ/2)²) where I is the radiation intensity, ν is the frequency, I 0 is the peak intensity, γ is the width of the distribution, and ν 0 is the frequency of peak intensity