noun
recoil atom
Technical term in nuclear physics for an atom that recoils after emitting a particle or radiation.
反跳原子のエネルギーを測定することで、放射線の種類を特定できる。
By measuring the energy of the recoil atom, the type of radiation can be identified.
Compound of 反跳 (recoil) and 原子 (atom). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term is a modern technical coinage.