A bacteriophage virion that has been released from its parental infected bacterium but has not yet adsorbed to another bacterium.
During single-step growth, virions are not free during the post-eclipse period but become free during the rise period.
A phage should continue to be considered to be free following non-inactivating adsorption to non-bacterial materials such as soil particles or activated charcoal, i.e., as may be described as bound free phages. Alternatively, phages which are either found within their parental cell or for which nucleic acid translocation is no longer possible should not be described as free.
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