Condensed matter physics

phenomenon where atoms tend to stick to non-trivial positions; set of degrees of freedom incompatible with the space occupied

a phenomenon in condensed matter physics

the reduction in the hardness and ductility of a material by a surface-active molecular film

in solid-state physics, a quantum lattice model of fermions with nearest-neighbor interactinos that describes the conductor-insulator transition

quantifies the disruption of intermolecular bonds that occurs when a surface is created

system that exhibits quantum mechanical effects at the macroscopic level, such as superfluids, superconductors, ultracold atoms, etc.

type of approximation to an underlying physical theory

a problem that occurs in the model of a periodic crystal lattice

crystalline materials consisting of a single layer of atoms

application of theoretical physics to experimental data by making quantitative predictions based upon known theories

Mathematical assumption used in solid-state physics models

functions for calculating potential energy

dimensionless number used in condensed matter physics to describe the attenuation of X-ray scattering or coherent neutron scattering caused by thermal motion

a theoretical model describing interacting electrons (or other fermions) in a one-dimensional conductor (e.g. quantum wires such as carbon nanotubes)

Cryochemistry is the study of chemical interactions at temperatures below . It is derived from the Greek word cryos, meaning 'cold'. It overlaps with many other sciences, including chemistry, cryobiology, condensed matter physics, and even astrochemistry.

transition between different phases of matter at zero temperature

magnetic material under special conditions

fractal describing the theorised behaviour of electrons in a magnetic field

an electron in a static and uniform magnetic field will move in a circle due to the Lorentz force

semiconductor with such a high doping-level that the material starts to act more like a metal than as a semiconductor

damping of electric fields caused by the presence of mobile charge carriers

Mathematical function

A superlattice is a periodic structure of layers of two (or more) materials. Typically, the thickness of one layer is several nanometers. It can also refer to a lower-dimensional structure such as an array of quantum dots or quantum wells.

a state that can be achieved in a system of interacting quantum spins

in chemistry

family of several different effects that occur in heterogeneous fluids, or in porous bodies filled with fluid, or in a fast flow over a flat surface

Multiferroics are defined as materials that exhibit more than one of the primary ferroic properties in the same phase: ferromagnetism – a magnetisation that is switchable by an applied magnetic field ferroelectricity – an electric polarisation that is switchable by an applied electric field ferroelasticity – a deformation that is switchable by an applied stress While ferroelectric, ferroelastics, and ferromagnetics are formally multiferroics, these days the term is usually used to describe the magnetoelectric multiferroics that are simultaneously ferromagnetic and ferroelectric. Sometimes

thumb|upright=2|Nb-Sn phase diagram Niobium–tin is an intermetallic compound of niobium (Nb) and tin (Sn), used industrially as a type-II superconductor. This intermetallic compound has a simple structure: A3B. It is more expensive than niobium–titanium (NbTi), but remains superconducting up to a magnetic flux density of , compared to a limit of roughly 15 T for NbTi.

concept in quantum physics

behavior of electrons in condensed matter physics

a phenomenon related to the movement of ions in a magnetic field

kinetic energy lost by charged particles traversing a given material per traversed distance

an approximation method in condensed matter physics and in nuclear physics

metal-organic compound

a noncontact variant of atomic force microscopy

processes showing quantum behavior at the macroscopic scale, rather than at the atomic scale where quantum effects are prevalent; macroscopic scale quantum coherence leads to macroscopic quantum phenomena

absence of diffusion waves in disordered media

Superexchange or Kramers–Anderson superexchange interaction, is a prototypical indirect exchange coupling between neighboring magnetic moments (usually next-nearest neighboring cations, see the schematic illustration of MnO below) by virtue of exchanging electrons through a non-magnetic anion known as the superexchange center. In this way, it differs from direct exchange, in which there is direct overlap of electron wave function from nearest neighboring cations not involving an intermediary anion or exchange center. While direct exchange can be either ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic, the s

thumb|Foam in an egg carton which simulates the atomic surface structure of graphite, commensurable due to alignment in this photo thumb|Incommensurable due to twisting, so the valleys and hills don't line up

intermetallic compound with 4f and 5f electrons in unfilled electron bands

an emulsion that is stabilized by solid particles (for example colloidal silica) which adsorb onto the interface between the two phases

solid (crystalline) phase of electrons

order at absolute zero characterized by robust ground state degeneracy, quantized non-Abelian geometric phases, anyonic excitations, and long-range entanglement

type of natural semiconductor with thicknesses on the atomic scale

in physics, the appearance of spin accumulation on the lateral surfaces of an electric current-carrying sample, the signs of the spin directions being opposite on the opposing boundaries

mechanism of spontaneous phase separation

effect in surface physics

Jellium, also known as the uniform electron gas (UEG) or homogeneous electron gas (HEG), is a quantum mechanical model of interacting free electrons in a solid where the complementary positive charges are not atomic nuclei but instead an idealized background of uniform positive charge density. This model allows one to focus on the effects in solids that occur due to the quantum nature of electrons and their mutual repulsive interactions (due to like charge) without explicit introduction of the atomic lattice and structure making up a real material. Jellium is often used in solid-state physics

Flexoelectricity is a property of a dielectric material where there is coupling between electrical polarization and a strain gradient. This phenomenon is closely related to piezoelectricity, but while piezoelectricity refers to polarization due to uniform strain, flexoelectricity specifically involves polarization due to strain that varies from point to point in the material. This nonuniform strain breaks centrosymmetry, meaning that unlike in piezoelectricity, flexoelectric effects occur in both centrosymmetric and asymmetric crystal structures. This property is not the same as ferroelasticit

quantized unit of electrical conductance

A spaser or plasmonic laser is a type of laser which aims to confine light at a subwavelength scale far below Rayleigh's diffraction limit of light, by storing some of the light energy in electron oscillations called surface plasmon polaritons. The phenomenon was first described by David J. Bergman and Mark Stockman in 2003. The word spaser is an acronym for "surface plasmon amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The first such devices were announced in 2009 by three groups: a 44-nanometer-diameter nanoparticle with a gold core surrounded by a dyed silica gain medium created by re

modeling of composite materials by appropriately averaging their constituent properties

describes the effect that changing the volume of a crystal lattice has on its vibrational properties, and, as a consequence, the effect that changing temperature has on the size or dynamics of the lattice

materials with electrical properties that cannot be explained by non-interacting entities

point in the phase diagram of a material where a continuous phase transition takes place at absolute zero

general framework for describing the quantum mechanical evolution of a system in a non-equilibrium state

a state of matter proposed to exist in special, two-dimensional, semiconductors that have a quantized spin-Hall conductance and a vanishing charge-Hall conductance

a transformation that maps spin operators onto fermionic creation and annihilation operators

Hamiltonian used in quantum physics

solid state physics term