Related papers: Love might be a second-order phase transition
Homogeneous nucleation of the new phase of one transition near a second phase transition is considered. The system has two phase transitions, we study the nucleation of the new phase of one of these transitions under conditions such that we…
We study a two-dimensional crystal composed of active units governed by self-alignment. This mechanism induces a torque that aligns a particle's orientation with its velocity and leads to a phase transition from a disordered to a flocking…
Almost all normal-incommensurate phase transitions observed experimentally are continuous. We show that there is not any theoretical reason for this general behaviour in perfect crystals. A normal-incommensurate phase transition that is not…
Cell differentiation is an important process in living organisms. Differentiation is mostly based on binary decisions with the progenitor cells choosing between two specific lineages. The differentiation dynamics have both deterministic and…
First order phase transitions are described in terms of the microcanonical and canonical ensemble, with special attention to finite size effects. Difficulties in interpreting a "caloric curve" are discussed. A robust parameter indicating…
Making use of both the stochastic approach to the tunneling phenomenon and the threshold statistics, we offer a simple argument to show that critical bubbles may be correlated in first-order phase transitions and biased compared to the…
We study the nature of domain walls in an ordered phase in the phase-competing region of two Ising-type order parameters. Considering a two-component $\phi^4$ theory, we show that the domain wall of the ground-state (primary) order…
We consider a Hamiltonian system made of $N$ classical particles moving in two dimensions, coupled via an {\it infinite-range interaction} gauged by a parameter $A$. This system shows a low energy phase with most of the particles trapped in…
Phenomena which involves collective choice of many agents who are interacting with each other and choosing one of several alternatives, based on the limited information available to them, frequently show switching between two distinct…
In this work we consider the phase transition from ordered to disordered states that occur in the Vicsek model of self-propelled particles. This model was proposed to describe the emergence of collective order in swarming systems. When…
Hysteresis in cycling through first-order phase transitions in vortex matter, akin to the well-studied phenomenon of supercooling of water, has been discussed in literature. Hysteresis can be seen while varying either temperature T or…
Glasses are ubiquitous in daily life and technology. However the microscopic mechanisms generating this state of matter remain subject to debate: Glasses are considered either as merely hyper-viscous liquids or as resulting from a genuine…
The basic physics of lasers is characterized by a second-order continuous phase transition at the critical lasing threshold. Nevertheless, laser bistability with abrupt transitions has been reported in some laser systems, but its underlying…
Two-level atoms interacting with a one mode cavity field at zero temperature have order parameters which reflect the presence of a quantum phase transition at a critical value of the atom-cavity coupling strength. Two popular examples are…
The "criticality hypothesis", based on observed scale-free correlations in neural activity, posits that the brain operates at a critical point of transition between two phases. However, the validity of this hypothesis is still debated.…
Spontaneous symmetry breaking is well understood under equilibrium conditions as a consequence of the singularity of the thermodynamic limit. How a single global orientation of the order parameter dynamically emerges from an initially…
The possible paralelism existing between phase transitions and fracture in disordered materials, is discussed using the well-known Fiber Bundle Models and a probabilistic approach suited to smooth fluctuations near the critical point. Two…
The investigation of the Hamiltonian dynamical counterpart of phase transitions, combined with the Riemannian geometrization of Hamiltonian dynamics, has led to a preliminary formulation of a differential-topological theory of phase…
When the discrete time-translation symmetry of isolated, periodically driven systems is spontaneously broken, a new phase of matter can emerge. We review some recent developments on both the theoretical underpinnings and experimental…
Properties of the two dimensional Ising model with fixed magnetization are deduced from known exact results on the two dimensional Ising model. The existence of a continuous phase transition is shown for arbitrary values of the fixed…