phase transition (redirected from Second-order phase transition)

phase transition

A change in a feature of a physical system that results in a discrete transition of that system to another state. For example, the melting of ice is a phase transition of water from a solid phase to a liquid phase. Phase transitions often involve the absorption or emission of energy from the system; ice, at 0 ° Celsius, must absorb a considerable amount of heat energy to become water. See also state of matterthermodynamics

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

phase transition - a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a change in chemical composition phase change, physical change, state change freeze, freezing - the withdrawal of heat to change something from a liquid to a solid liquefaction - the conversion of a solid or a gas into a liquid natural action, natural process, action, activity - a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings); "the action of natural forces"; "volcanic activity" melt, melting, thaw, thawing - the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid; "the power failure caused a refrigerator melt that was a disaster"; "the thawing of a frozen turkey takes several hours" evaporation, vaporisation, vaporization, vapour, vapor - the process of becoming a vapor