A clear, concise and rigorous textbook covering phase transitions in the context of advances in electronic structure and statistical mechanics.

For all kinds of materials, phase transformations show common phenomena and mechanisms, and often turn a material, for example metals, multiphase alloys, ceramics or composites, into its technological useful form. The physics and thermodynamics of a transformation from the solid to liquid state or from one crystal form to another are therefore essential for creating high-performance materials. This handbook covers phase transformations, a general phenomenon central to understanding the behavior of materials and for creating high-performance materials. It will be an essential reference for all materials scientists, physicists and engineers involved in the research and development of new high performance materials. It is the revised and enhanced edition of the renowned book edited by the late P. Haasen in 1990 (Vol. 5, Materials Science and Technology).

The Physics of Phase Transitions occupies an important place at the crossroads of several fields central to materials sciences. This second edition incorporates new developments in the states of matter physics, in particular in the domain of nanomaterials and atomic Bose-Einstein condensates where progress is accelerating. New information and application examples are included. This work deals with all classes of phase transitions in fluids and solids, containing chapters on evaporation, melting, solidification, magnetic transitions, critical phenomena, superconductivity, and more. End-of-chapter problems and complete answers are included.

The new edition of this popular textbook provides a fundamental approach to phase transformations and thermodynamics of materials. Explanations are emphasised at the level of atoms and electrons, and it comprehensively covers the classical topics from classical metallurgy to nanoscience and magnetic phase transitions. The book has three parts, covering the fundamentals of phase transformations, the origins of the Gibbs free energy, and the major phase transformations in materials science. A fourth part on advanced topics is available online. Much of the content from the first edition has been expanded, notably precipitation transformations in solids, heterogeneous nucleation, and energy, entropy and pressure. Three new chapters have been added to cover interactions within microstructures, surfaces, and solidification. Containing over 170 end-of-chapter problems, it is a valuable companion for graduate students and researchers in materials science, engineering, and applied physics.

This book introduces new concepts in the phenomenon of 1st order phase transitions. It discusses the concept of kinetic arrest at a certain temperature, with this temperature being dependent on the second control variable (magnetic field, or pressure). It discusses interesting manifestations of this phenomenon when the 1st order transition is broadened, i.e. occurs over a finite range of temperatures. Many examples of this phenomenon, observed recently in many materials, will also be discussed.

Describing the physical properties of quantum materials near critical points with long-range many-body quantum entanglement, this book introduces readers to the basic theory of quantum phases, their phase transitions and their observable properties. This second edition begins with a new section suitable for an introductory course on quantum phase transitions, assuming no prior knowledge of quantum field theory. It also contains several new chapters to cover important recent advances, such as the Fermi gas near unitarity, Dirac fermions, Fermi liquids and their phase transitions, quantum magnetism, and solvable models obtained from string theory. After introducing the basic theory, it moves on to a detailed description of the canonical quantum-critical phase diagram at non-zero temperatures. Finally, a variety of more complex models are explored. This book is ideal for graduate students and researchers in condensed matter physics and particle and string theory.

Providing a comprehensive introduction with the necessary background material to make it accessible for a wide scientific audience, Kinetics of Phase Transitions discusses developments in domain-growth kinetics. This book combines pedagogical chapters from leading experts in this area and focuses on incorporating various experimentally releva