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Related Concept Videos

Phase Transitions02:31

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to occupy...
Phase Transitions01:21

Phase Transitions

A phase transition is the process in which a substance changes from one state of matter to another, like from a solid to a liquid, liquid to gas, or vice versa, at a specific temperature and under given pressure conditions. This change is spontaneous and is affected by alterations in temperature and pressure. These parameters impact the strength of the forces between molecules (intermolecular forces) in the substance.During a phase transition, both the initial and final phases of the substance...
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing02:39

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...
Phase Changes01:19

Phase Changes

Phase transitions play an important theoretical and practical role in the study of heat flow. In melting or fusion, a solid turns into a liquid; the opposite process is freezing. In evaporation, a liquid turns into a gas; the opposite process is condensation.
A substance melts or freezes at a temperature called its melting point and boils or condenses at its boiling point. These temperatures depend on pressure. High pressure favors the denser form of the substance, so typically, high pressure...
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation02:39

Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation

The physical form of a substance changes on changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. Vaporization occurs when the thermal motion of the molecules overcome the intermolecular forces, and the molecules (at the surface) escape into the gaseous state. When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase molecules...
Phase Diagram01:19

Phase Diagram

The phase of a given substance depends on the pressure and temperature. Thus, plots of pressure versus temperature showing the phase in each region provide considerable insights into the thermal properties of substances. Such plots are known as phase diagrams. For instance, in the phase diagram for water (Figure 1), the solid curve boundaries between the phases indicate phase transitions (i.e., temperatures and pressures at which the phases coexist).

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
08:55

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Published on: June 7, 2018

Quantum fidelity and thermal phase transitions.

H T Quan1, F M Cucchietti

  • 1Theoretical Division, MS B213, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|April 28, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Quantum fidelity effectively identifies thermal phase transitions, especially lambda transitions. Variations of this method overcome limitations caused by thermal fluctuations at high temperatures.

Area of Science:

  • Quantum physics
  • Statistical mechanics
  • Condensed matter theory

Background:

  • Thermal phase transitions are crucial in understanding matter's behavior at different temperatures.
  • Quantum fidelity offers a sensitive measure to detect changes in quantum states.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the utility of quantum fidelity for characterizing second-order thermal phase transitions.
  • To analyze the impact of temperature perturbations on mixed-state fidelity.
  • To adapt fidelity approaches for improved analysis of thermal phase transitions.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzing mixed-state fidelity under temperature perturbations.
  • Examining fidelity behavior in lambda transitions and other second-order phase transitions.
  • Connecting fidelity with thermodynamic quantities.

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Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

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Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor
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Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor

Published on: November 11, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
08:55

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Published on: June 7, 2018

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
06:26

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Published on: May 15, 2017

Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor
10:00

Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor

Published on: November 11, 2013

Main Results:

  • Quantum fidelity is more effective for lambda transitions (divergent second free energy derivatives).
  • Fidelity's sensitivity decreases at high temperatures due to thermal fluctuations.
  • Proposed fidelity variations enhance analysis in challenging temperature regimes.

Conclusions:

  • Quantum fidelity is a robust tool for detecting thermal phase transitions.
  • The study provides an improved fidelity-based method for analyzing phase diagrams, demonstrated on the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model.