Electron Volt

The energy an electron gains crossing one volt, the working currency of atomic and particle physics.

Specifications & Metrics

symbol

eV

status

Exact — defined from the elementary charge (2019 SI)

value

1.602176634 × 10⁻¹⁹ J

Relative Scale in Constants

Core Principles & Analysis

• Fixed exactly at 1.602 176 634 × 10⁻¹⁹ J by the 2019 SI redefinition.
• One eV per particle corresponds to about 11,600 kelvin of thermal energy.
• Particle masses are quoted in GeV/c², making the electron volt the mass unit of high-energy physics.