Phase Transition
A nonanalytic change in equilibrium behavior as control parameters vary.
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Phase Transition
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Definition
A phase transition occurs when thermodynamic properties change nonanalytically in the thermodynamic limit. First-order transitions have a discontinuity in a first derivative of a thermodynamic potential and often involve latent heat.
Order Parameters
An order parameter distinguishes phases. Magnetization in a ferromagnet and density difference in a liquid-gas transition are standard examples.
Criticality
At a continuous transition, correlation lengths can become large compared with microscopic scales. This is why very different systems can share universal critical behavior.
Clausius-Clapeyron Equation
The slope of a coexistence curve in a phase diagram.
Gibbs Free Energy
The thermodynamic potential suited to constant temperature and pressure.
Ising Model
A minimal lattice model for ferromagnetism and phase transitions.