Related papers: From first- to second-order phase transitions in h…
The interplay between ferroelectricity and band topology can give rise to a wide range of both fundamental and applied research. Here, we map out the emergence of nontrivial corner states in two-dimensional ferroelectrics, and remarkably…
Ferroelectricity in perovskites is known to be suppressed by a moderate hydrostatic pressure. The notion that a polar instability should reappear in a higher pressure regime is well accepted theoretically but experiments have failed so far…
First order phase transitions occur discretely from one state to another, however they often display continuous behavior. To understand this nature, it is essential to probe how the emergent phase nucleates, interacts and evolves with the…
The thermodynamics of the $q$-state Potts model with arbitrary $q$ on a class of hierarchical lattices is considered. Contrary to the case of the crystal lattices, it has always the second-order phase transitions. The analytical expressions…
We consider an off-lattice liquid crystal pair potential in strictly two dimensions. The potential is purely repulsive and short-ranged. Nevertheless, by means of a single parameter in the potential, the system is shown to undergo a…
Entropy is a critical, but often overlooked, factor in determining the relative stabilities of crystal phases. The importance of entropy is most pronounced in softer materials, where small changes in free energy can drive phase transitions,…
Structural, magnetic and electric properties of a metal-ordered perovskite YBaMn2O6 have been studied by means of powder X-ray diffraction, DSC, magnetic susceptibility, and electric resistivity. It is found that this material undergoes a…
The high-pressure behaviour of Na$_2$CuF$_4$ is explored by powder neutron diffraction and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A first-order phase transition is observed to take place between 2.4 - 2.9 GPa, involving a…
First- and second-order phase transitions, Fulde-Ferrel (FF) inhomogeneous superconducting (SC) state and quantum criticality in ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet double tunnel junctions are investigated. For the antiparallel alignment…
The frequency dependence of dynamical conductivity of the quasi-one-dimensional structures with hydrogen bonds is studied on the basis of pseudospin-electron model. It takes into account the proton-electron interaction, external…
Low dimensional ferroelectrics are highly desired for applications and full of exotic physics. Here a functionalized MXene Hf$_2$CF$_2$ monolayer is theoretically studied, which manifests a nonpolar to polar transition upon moderate biaxial…
The recent discovery of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystalline phases marks a major breakthrough in soft matter research. An intermediate phase, often observed between the nonpolar and the ferroelectric nematic phase, shows a distinct…
Hexagonal manganites are multiferroic materials with two highly-dissimilar phase transitions: a ferroelectric transition (from P63/mmc to P63cm) at a temperature higher than 1000 K and an antiferromagnetic transition at TN=65 - 130 K.…
While most phase transformations, e.g. ferroelectric or ferromagnetic, can be first or second order depending on external applied fields, martensitic transformations in metallic alloys are nearly universally first order. We demonstrate that…
Relaxor ferrolectrics are important in technological applications due to a strong electromechanical response, energy storage capacity, electrocaloric effect, and pyroelectric energy conversion properties. Current efforts to discover and…
Na-ion batteries (NIBs) are increasingly looked at as a viable alternative to Li-ion batteries due to the abundance, low cost, and thermal stability of Na-based systems. To improve the practical utilization of NIBs in applications, it is…
The effects of octahedral tilting of RbANb2O7 (A = Bi, Nd) compounds was studied using density-functional theory. In this compound, the structural phase transition was correlated with two octahedral tilting modes (a-a-c0 tilting and a0a0c+…
We find a series of topological phase transitions of increasing order, beyond the more standard second-order phase transition in a one-dimensional topological superconductor. The jumps in the order of the transitions depend on the range of…
The design of novel multiferroic ABO$_3$ perovskites is complicated by the presence of necessary magnetic cations and ubiquitous antiferrodistortive modes, both of which suppress polar distortions. Using first-principles simulations, we…
Resistivity measurements are widely exploited to uncover electronic excitations and phase transitions in metallic solids. While single crystals are preferably studied to explore crystalline anisotropies, these usually cancel out in…