Related papers: A density-driven first-order phase transition in l…
We look at the influence of external fields on systems described by generic free energy functional of the order parameter. The external force may have arbitrary spatial dependence, and the order parameter coupling may be nonlinear. The…
We have performed the first 3-dimensional simulations of strong first-order thermal phase transitions in the early Universe. For deflagrations, we find that the rotational component of the fluid velocity increases as the transition strength…
Glasses acquire their solid-like properties by cooling from the supercooled liquid via a continuous transition known as the glass transition. Recent research on soft glasses indicates that besides temperature, another route to liquify…
The possibility is investigated that competition between fluctuations at different symmetry-related ordering wave vectors may affect the quantum phase transition between a fermi liquid and a longitudinal spin density wave state, in…
We present a molecular dynamics simulation study of the liquid-solid transition in a two dimensional system consisting of particles of two different sizes interacting via a truncated Lennard-Jones potential. We work with equal number of…
The unusual chemistry of sulfur is illustrated by the tendency for catenation. Sulfur forms a range of open and closed S$_n$ species in the gas phase, which has led to speculation on the composition of sulfur vapours as a function of…
Acoustical measurements, electron spin resonance, and Raman spectroscopy have been employed to probe sulfur over the temperature range 80 to 180 C, which includes the polymerization transition and the supercooled liquid state. Acoustical…
We assess experimentally and theoretically the character of the superfluid-supersolid quantum phase transition recently discovered in trapped dipolar quantum gases. We find that one-row supersolids can have already two types of phase…
Some highly unusual features of a lipid-water liquid crystal are revealed by high pressure x-ray diffraction, light scattering and dilatometric studies of the lamellar (bilayer $L_{\alpha}$) to nonlamellar inverse hexagonal ($H_{II}$) phase…
The dynamics at the critical-point of a general first-order quantum phase transition in a finite system is examined, from an algebraic perspective. Suitable Hamiltonians are constructed whose spectra exhibit coexistence of states…
Under pressure, metals exhibit increasingly shorter interatomic distances. Intuitively, this response is expected to be accompanied by an increase in the widths of the valence and conduction bands and hence a more pronounced…
First order phase transitions are violent phenomena that occur when the state of the universe evolves abruptly from one vacuum to another. A \emph{direct} phase transition connects a local vacuum to a deeper vacuum of the zero--temperature…
The possible occurrence of a first-order hadron-quark phase transition (FOPT) in neutron-star interiors remains an open question. Whether such a transition can be directly tested with improved observations is a key challenge. Here, we…
A generic property of a first-order phase transition in equilibrium, and in the limit of large entropy per unit of conserved charge, is the smallness of the isentropic speed of sound in the ``mixed phase''. A specific prediction is that…
In this Letter, we numerically present the possibility of the first-order phase transition occurring through the thermal fluctuation in the early universe. We find that when the temperature is slightly higher than the mass scale of the…
Unprecedented bright and intense synchrotron X-rays have been widely used to unravel numerous compelling electronic and structural properties using a large variety of physical techniques, while the puzzling phenomenon is the uncertainties…
The distinctive characteristics of water, evident in its thermodynamic anomalies, have implications across disciplines from biology to geophysics. Considered a valid hypothesis to rationalize its unique properties, a liquid-liquid phase…
We discuss first-order phase transitions that are broadened by disorder, but still remain first order on the local mesoscopic level. Using vortex-matter as our paradigm, we argue that phase transitions in general can be broadened by two…
Disorder-broadened 1st order transitions may not carry the experimental signature of a latent heat. We discuss what experimental observation can provide a necessary and sufficient condition for characterizing this phase transition as 1st…
Liquid crystals in two dimensions undergo a first-order isotropic-to-quasi-nematic transition, provided the particle interactions are sufficiently ``sharp and narrow''. This implies phase coexistence between isotropic and quasi-nematic…