The notation "O(α(n))" refers to a specific type of time complexity in computer science, where α(n) is the inverse Ackermann function. This function grows very slowly, making O(α(n)) an efficient complexity class for certain algorithms, particularly in data structures like disjoint sets or union-find. In practical terms, O(α(n)) indicates that the time required to complete an operation increases very slowly as the size of the input, n, grows. This means that even for large datasets, algorithms with this complexity can perform efficiently, making them suitable for applications in graph theory and networking.