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Phase Diagram

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).

Phase Transitions

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...

Phase Diagrams

Phase Diagrams

A phase diagram combines plots of pressure versus temperature for the liquid-gas, solid-liquid, and solid-gas phase-transition equilibria of a substance. These diagrams indicate the physical states that exist under specific conditions of pressure and temperature and also provide the pressure dependence of the phase-transition temperatures (melting points, sublimation points, boiling points). Regions or areas labeled solid, liquid, and gas represent single phases, while lines or curves represent...

Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation

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...

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

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...

States of Water

States of Water

Water exists in any one of the three classical states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (steam or water vapor). The state of water depends on i) the intermolecular forces that draw molecules together and ii) the kinetic energy that leads to movements that pull them apart.
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Published on: May 27, 2018

Quantum Phase Transition in the One-Dimensional Water Chain.

T Serwatka¹, R G Melko^2,3, A Burkov^2,3

¹Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.

Physical Review Letters

|January 27, 2023

Summary

Researchers found a quantum phase transition in linear water chains, belonging to the Ising universality class. This discovery opens possibilities for ferroelectric phases and quantum devices, with stability up to 10 Kelvin.

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Last Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy

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Published on: May 27, 2018

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Area of Science:

Condensed matter physics
Quantum mechanics
Molecular systems

Background:

Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) are fundamental to understanding condensed matter systems.
Molecular systems offer a platform for exploring quantum phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate a quantum phase transition in linear chains of rotating water molecules.
To characterize the universality class and critical exponents of this QPT.
To investigate the impact of symmetry breaking on the system's properties.

Main Methods:

High-quality wave-function-based simulations were employed.
Analysis of critical exponents was performed.
Symmetry-breaking effects, specifically inversion symmetry, were examined.

Main Results:

A quantum phase transition was identified in linear water chains.
The QPT was found to belong to the (1+1)-dimensional Ising universality class.
Breaking inversion symmetry lifted ground state degeneracy, yielding states with opposite polarization.

Conclusions:

Linear water chains exhibit a QPT within the Ising universality class.
The system can form ferroelectric phases with potential for quantum devices.
The quantum critical regime shows thermal stability up to approximately 10 Kelvin.