phases of matter

1. The states in which matter can exist: as a solid, liquid, or gas. When temperature changes, matter can undergo a phase change, shifting from one form to another. Examples of phase changes are melting (changing from a solid to a liquid), freezing (changing from a liquid to a solid), evaporation (changing from a liquid to a gas), and condensation (changing from a gas to a liquid). (See boiling point, condensation point, freezing point, melting point, triple point, and vaporization.)

Example Sentences

"We're looking to predict where certain phases of matter exist and how one state can transition to another -- when you think of turning a liquid into gas, you picture turning up a heat knob to get water to boil into steam. Here, it turns out there are other quantum knobs we can play with to manipulate states of matter, which can lead to impressive advances in experimental research."

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"We've uncovered a hidden layer of control in quantum materials and opened a path to shaping light-matter interactions in ways that could help us both understand exotic phases of matter and ultimately harness them for future quantum technologies," said James McIver, assistant professor of physics at Columbia and lead author of the paper.

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"By controlling these dipolar interactions, we hope to create new quantum states and phases of matter," said co-author and Columbia postdoc Ian Stevenson.

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Ultimately, this technique could make it possible for scientists to discover unknown phases of matter autonomously.

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The researchers hope that designing specific cavities will help them realize new and elusive phases of matter, and to better understand the delicate interplay between light and matter.

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