Quiescence (kwē-ĕs-ənts) is a Latin-derived English language noun referring to a state of being quiet, still, at rest, dormant, inactive. Its adjectival form is quiescent, for example "a quiescent mind."
Quiescence may refer to:
- The G0 phase of a cell in the cell cycle; quiescence is the state of a cell when it is not dividing
- In behavioral neuroscience or zoology, quiescence refers to a behavior where an animal is vigilant but relaxed and immobile. This may be related to a recuperative response after an encounter with a predator
- In volcanology, when an active volcano is not actually erupting.
- In plants, it is the non-active state of a seed in which the only requirement for seed germination is water and oxygen. Contrast with Dormancy.
- An electronic amplifier or filter is said to be in a quiescent state when no signal is applied to its input
- A quiescent prominence is a long, sheet-like prominence of relatively cool solar material that hangs nearly vertically to the Sun's surface for days or months.
- In biogas-diesel engine research, quiescence is the term used to describe the phenomenon where the combustion cools down quickly preventing the fuel from burning completely and resulting in high amounts of unburned hydrocarbons
- In Utero Motor Development - A period of relative inactivity in the womb, usually between weeks 17-24. During this period, higher brain centres develop (a stage of neurodevelopment)
- In automotive applications - A state where all computers and control systems have shut down and using minimal battery draw. usually 50mA
- In Game searching (adversarial search) in artificial intelligence, a quiescent state is one in which a game is considered stable and unlikely to change drastically the next few plys.
- In computer science is a data item that is not actively being changed.
