states of matter

Critical phase transitions: understanding state changes

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Phase transitions arise when a physical system undergoes a profound – often spectacular – transformation, moving from one state to another due to the influence of an external parameter, such as temperature or pressure. These changes of state are not mere progressive variations; they sometimes signify symmetry breaking and give rise to fascinating critical phenomena. … Read more

Bose-Einstein condensates: understanding the fifth state of matter

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At the border of classical and quantum physics reveals a fascinating state of matter: the Bose-Einstein condensate. Far from the traditional states of solid, liquid, gas, or even plasma, this state appears under extreme conditions, at a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero. It spectacularly illustrates how the microscopic world can gather into … Read more