Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Phase Transitions02:31

Phase Transitions

19.2K
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...
19.2K
Phase Diagram01:19

Phase Diagram

5.9K
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).
5.9K
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing02:39

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

12.5K
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...
12.5K
Phase Changes01:19

Phase Changes

4.4K
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...
4.4K
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition02:33

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

17.2K
Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...
17.2K
Phase Diagrams02:39

Phase Diagrams

41.7K
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...
41.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Configuration spaces of hard spheres.

Physical review. E·2021
Same author

Statistical topology of bond networks with applications to silica.

Physical review. E·2020
Same author

Roundness of grains in cellular microstructures.

Physical review. E·2017
Same author

Topological similarity of random cell complexes and applications.

Physical review. E·2016
Same author

Statistical topology of cellular networks in two and three dimensions.

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2012
Same author

The relationship of the hyperspherical harmonics to SO(3), SO(4) and orientation distribution functions.

Acta crystallographica. Section A, Foundations of crystallography·2009
Same journal

Erratum: Low-dimensional model for adaptive networks of spiking neurons [Phys. Rev. E 111, 014422 (2025)].

Physical review. E·2026
Same journal

Disentangling the effects of many-body forces on depletion interactions.

Physical review. E·2026
Same journal

Charge transport and mode transition in dual-energy electron beam diodes.

Physical review. E·2026
Same journal

Optimization of multisite reactions in complex compartmentalized media.

Physical review. E·2026
Same journal

Origin of geometric cohesion in nonconvex granular materials: Interplay between interdigitation and rotational constraints enhancing frictional stability.

Physical review. E·2026
Same journal

Interaction of walkers with a standing Faraday wave.

Physical review. E·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy
10:08

Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: October 24, 2017

9.3K

Geometric conjecture about phase transitions.

O B Eriçok1, J K Mason1

  • 1Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.

Physical Review. E
|July 19, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Phase transitions may be driven by changes in configuration space geometry, not just topology. A study links discontinuities in mixing time to thermodynamic phase transitions in hard-disk and hard-sphere systems.

More Related Videos

Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers
12:37

Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers

Published on: September 4, 2015

12.4K
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

7.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy
10:08

Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: October 24, 2017

9.3K
Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers
12:37

Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers

Published on: September 4, 2015

12.4K
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

7.2K

Area of Science:

  • Statistical thermodynamics
  • Geometric analysis of configuration spaces
  • Computational physics

Background:

  • Phase transitions are complex phenomena emergent from interacting particles.
  • Predicting phase transitions using statistical thermodynamics remains challenging.
  • The topological hypothesis suggests phase transitions relate to configuration space topology changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose that configuration space geometry changes, not topology, drive phase transitions.
  • To investigate the link between geometric changes and phase transition onset.
  • To test the conjecture that discontinuities in mixing time signal phase transitions.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluating diffusion diameter and ε-mixing time for hard-disk and hard-sphere systems.
  • Constructing explicit geometries for system configuration spaces.
  • Analyzing numerical evidence for discontinuities in mixing time.

Main Results:

  • Numerical evidence suggests a discontinuity in ε-mixing time.
  • This discontinuity coincides with the solid-fluid phase transition.
  • The findings support the geometric change hypothesis over the topological one.

Conclusions:

  • Geometric changes in configuration space, specifically discontinuities in mixing time, are proposed as drivers of phase transitions.
  • The study provides numerical evidence supporting this geometric hypothesis for hard-disk and hard-sphere systems.
  • This geometric perspective offers a new avenue for understanding and predicting phase transitions.