phase transition

American  

[fayz-tran-zish-uhn] / ˈfeɪz trænˌzɪʃ ən /

noun

phase transitions plural

1. Physical Chemistry. the change from one phase of a substance to another, such as from solid to liquid.

---

phase transition Scientific  

1. 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.

2. See also state of matter thermodynamics

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• phase transitions
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phase transition

These included metals such as copper, noble gases under extreme pressure such as argon in crystalline state, and the complex solid-solid phase transition of tin.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2026

However, building on their earlier work, the team showed that fluids move through a pipe in a non-equilibrium phase transition, known as directed percolation, at the transition point between laminar and turbulent flow.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2024

That, in turn, may help them unravel mysteries of the phase transition between deconfined quarks and gluons and composite particles such as protons and neutrons.

From Science Daily ● May 17, 2024

Understanding the electromagnetic properties of the QGP may help physicists unravel the mysteries of the phase transition between QGP and ordinary nuclear matter made of protons and neutrons.

From Science Daily ● May 17, 2024

In Guth’s original proposal the phase transition was supposed to occur suddenly, rather like the appearance of ice crystals in very cold water.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking