Phase transition

A physical phenomenon that occurs in macroscopic systems and consists in the following. In certain equilibrium states of the system an arbitrary small influence leads to a sudden change of its properties: the system passes from one homogeneous phase to another. Mathematically, a phase transition is treated as a sudden change of the structure and properties of the so-called Gibbs distributions describing the equilibrium states of the system, for arbitrary small changes of the parameters determining the equilibrium (cf. Gibbs distribution; Gibbs statistical aggregate).

References

[1]	L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz, "Statistical physics" , Pergamon (1980) (Translated from Russian)
[2]	Ya.G. Sinai, "Theory of phase transitions" , Pergamon (1982) (Translated from Russian)

References

[a1]	H.L. Frisch (ed.) J.L. Lebowitz (ed.) , The equilibrium theory of classical fluids , Benjamin (1964)
[a2]	H.E. Stanley, "Introduction to phase transitions and critical phenomena" , Pergamon (1971)