Condensed matter physics

thumb|right|alt=refer to caption|Iron, shown here as fragments and a 1 cm3 cube, is an example of a [[chemical element that is a metal.]] thumb|right|alt=A metal gravy boat|Metal in the form of a gravy boat made from [[stainless steel, an alloy largely composed of iron, chromium and nickel]]

distinct forms that different phases of matter take on

The word metalloid comes from the Latin metallum ("metal") and the Greek oeidḗs ("resembling in form or appearance"). However, there is no standard definition of a metalloid and no complete agreement on which elements are metalloids. Despite the lack of specificity, the term remains in use in the literature.

thumb|upright=1.6|The class of Bosons is one of the two fundamental classes of subatomic particle, the other being [[fermions. All subatomic particles must be one or the other. A composite particle (hadron) may fall into either class depending on its composition.]]

thumb|A crystalline solid: atomic resolution image of strontium titanate. Brighter spots are columns of [[strontium atoms and darker ones are titanium-oxygen columns.]] thumb|Octahedral and tetrahedral interstitial sites in a face centered cubic structure thumb|Kikuchi lines (physics)|Kikuchi lines in an [[electron backscatter diffraction pattern of monocrystalline silicon, taken at 20 kV with a field-emission electron source]]

thumb|A high-temperature superconductor levitating above a magnet. A persistent electric current flows on the surface of the superconductor, acting to exclude the magnetic field of the magnet (Meissner effect). This current effectively forms an electromagnet that repels the magnet.

research, discovery and design of physical materials (especially solids)

In materials science, hardness (antonym: softness) is a measure of the resistance to plastic deformation, such as an indentation (over an area) or a scratch (linear), induced mechanically either by pressing or abrasion. In general, different materials differ in their hardness; for example hard metals such as titanium and beryllium are harder than soft metals such as sodium and metallic tin, or wood and common plastics. Macroscopic hardness is generally characterized by strong intermolecular bonds, but the behavior of solid materials under force is complex; therefore, hardness can be measured i

A colloid is a mixture in which one substance, consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles, is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a liquid, while others extend the definition to include substances like aerosols and gels. The term colloidal suspension refers unambiguously to the overall mixture (although a narrower sense of the word suspension is distinguished from colloids by larger particle size). A colloid has a dispersed phase (the suspended particles) and a continuous phase (the medium of suspension). thu

state of matter of a dilute gas of bosons cooled to temperatures very near absolute zero

region in a substance throughout which all physical properties are essentially uniform; region of material that is chemically uniform, physically distinct, (often) mechanically separable

methods of calculating displacements, stresses, and strains in deformable bodies

branch of physics dealing with a property of matter

thumb|upright=1.1|Piezoelectric balance presented by Pierre Curie to [[Lord Kelvin, Hunterian Museum, Glasgow]]

branch of physics focused on matter in the solid state

production of a voltage difference across an electrical conductor in a magnetic field

lowest possible energy of a quantum system or field

thumbnail|Views of a liquid crystal display, both with electroluminescent backlight switched on (top) and switched off (bottom) Electroluminescence (EL) is an optical and electrical phenomenon, in which a material emits light in response to the passage of an electric current or to a strong electric field. This is distinct from black body light emission resulting from heat (incandescence), illumination by light (photoluminescence), chemical reactions (chemiluminescence), reactions in a liquid (electrochemiluminescence), sound (sonoluminescence), or other mechanical action (mechanoluminescence),

thumb|Supercooled water, still in liquid state thumb|Start of solidification as a result of leaving the state of rest Supercooling, also known as undercooling, is the process of lowering the temperature of a liquid below its freezing point without it becoming a solid. Per the established international definition, supercooling means "cooling a substance below the normal freezing point without solidification". While it can be achieved by different physical means, the postponed solidification is most often due to the absence of seed crystals or nuclei around which a crystal structure can form. Th

difference of the energy of an electron at rest at infinity and the Fermi energy

In condensed matter physics, a quasiparticle is a concept used to describe a collective behavior of a group of particles that can be treated as if they were a single particle. Formally, quasiparticles and collective excitations are closely related phenomena that arise when a microscopically complicated system such as a solid behaves as if it contained different weakly interacting particles in vacuum.

Spintronics (a portmanteau of spin transport electronics), also known as spin electronics, is the study of the intrinsic spin of the electron and its associated magnetic moment, in addition to its fundamental electronic charge, in solid-state devices. The field of spintronics concerns spin-charge coupling in metallic systems. The analogous effects in insulators fall into the field of multiferroics.

thumb|Potential energy surface for silver depositing on an aluminium–[[palladium–manganese (Al–Pd–Mn) quasicrystal surface. Similar to Fig. 6 in Ref.]]

quantum physical phenomenon

resonant and recoil-free emission and absorption of gamma radiation by atomic nuclei

a quantum-mechanical version of the Hall effect

empirical thermodynamic law that the molar heat capacities of many solids are approximately the same at 3𝑅≈25 J/(K·mol)

In condensed matter physics, a supersolid is a spatially ordered (i.e. solid) material with superfluid properties. In the case of helium-4, it has been conjectured since the 1960s that it might be possible to create a supersolid. Starting from 2017, a definitive proof for the existence of this state was provided by several experiments using atomic Bose–Einstein condensates. The general conditions required for supersolidity to emerge in a certain substance are a topic of ongoing research.

instrument using a highly focused laser to provide an attractive or repulsive force (on the order of piconewtons) to hold and move microscopic dielectric objects similar to tweezers

non-classical state of matter

concept in quantum mechanics referring to the energy difference between the highest and lowest occupied single-particle states in a quantum system of non-interacting fermions at absolute zero temperature

An electret (formed as a portmanteau of electr- from "electricity" and -et from "magnet") is a dielectric material that has a quasi-permanent electrical polarisation. An electret has internal and external electric fields, and is the electrostatic equivalent of a permanent magnet.

mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking in molecular and solid-state systems

periodic optical nanostructure affecting the motion of photons in much the same way as ionic lattices affect electrons in solids

fourier transform of real-space lattices, important in solid-state physics

branch of chemistry and physics

angle between a liquid–vapor interface and a solid surface

model that describes the breaking of degeneracies of electron orbital states, usually d or f orbitals, due to a static electric field produced by a surrounding charge distribution (anion neighbors)

cooling technology based on the magnetocaloric effect

the mass that an object seems to have when responding to forces, or when interacting with other identical particles in a thermal distribution

quantum system whose ground state is one in which the particles are in repetitive motion

Photoconductivity is an optical and electrical phenomenon in which a material becomes more electrically conductive due to the absorption of electromagnetic radiation such as visible light, ultraviolet light, infrared light, or gamma radiation.

mathematical model of a solid that treates the vibrations of the atomic lattice as phonons in a box

a simple model for the behaviour of valence electrons in a crystal structure of a metallic solid

optical phenomenon

model of a crystalline solid that contains a large number of independent three-dimensional quantum harmonic oscillators of the same frequency

material with insulating bulk but conductive boundary

flash of light produced in a transparent material by the passage of a particle

subfield of condensed matter comprising a variety of physical systems that are deformed or structurally altered by thermal or mechanical stress of the magnitude of thermal fluctuations

a subdiscipline of condensed matter physics that deals with materials of an intermediate length

thumb|right|The effects of soil liquefaction, seen after [[2011 Canterbury earthquake ]] In materials science, liquefaction is a process that generates a liquid from a solid or a gas or that generates a non-liquid phase which behaves in accordance with fluid dynamics. It occurs both naturally and artificially. As an example of the latter, a "major commercial application of liquefaction is the liquefaction of air to allow separation of the constituents, such as oxygen, nitrogen, and the noble gases." Another is the conversion of solid coal into a liquid form usable as a substitute for liquid f

phenomenon where primary incident particles of sufficient energy, when hitting a surface or passing through some material, induce the emission of secondary particles

quantum account of metals and other matter in terms of interacting fermions

an abstract boundary in reciprocal space useful for predicting the thermal, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties of metals, semimetals, and doped semiconductors

Fundamental theorem in condensed matter physics

dislocation of atoms in a solid caused by neutron radiation

radius of the circular movement of an electrically charged particle in a magnetic field

high-pressure device used in scientific experiments

A semimetal is a material with a small energy overlap between the bottom of the conduction band and the top of the valence band, but they do not overlap in momentum space. According to electronic band theory, solids can be classified as insulators, semiconductors, semimetals, or metals. In insulators and semiconductors the filled valence band is separated from an empty conduction band by a band gap. For insulators, the magnitude of the band gap is larger (e.g., >&nbsp;4&nbsp;eV) than that of a semiconductor (e.g., <&nbsp;4&nbsp;eV). Because of the slight overlap between the conduction and vale

sub-branch of optical physics