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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• phase transitions
  plural

Example Sentences

While CDWs have been studied for many years, researchers have struggled to directly observe how their strength and spatial coherence change during a phase transition.

From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026

Second, they used statistical mechanics to mathematically predict the behavior of the puffs, using techniques from phase transition physics.

From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 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

The material exhibits displacive-type ferroelectric behavior, where the displacement of ions during the phase transition leads to the creation of a permanent dipole moment within the material.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2024

In this there is no phase transition or supercooling.

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