Matter organizes into various
phases or
states of matter depending on its constituents and external factors like
pressure and
temperature. In common temperatures and pressures, atoms form the three classical states of matter:
solid,
liquid and
gas. Complex molecules can also form various
mesophases such as
liquid crystals, which are intermediate between the liquid and solid phases. At high temperatures or strong electromagnetic fields atoms become ionized, forming
plasma.
At low temperatures, the electrons of solid materials can also organize into various electronic phases of matter, such as the
superconducting state, which is characterized by vanishing
resistivity. Magnetic states such as
ferromagnetism and
antiferromagnetism can also be regarded as phases of matter in which the electronic and
nuclear spins organize into different patterns. Such states of matter are studied in
condensed matter physics.
In extreme conditions found in some stars and in the early universe, atoms break into their constituents and matter exists as some form of
degenerate matter or
quark matter. Such states of matter are studied in
high-energy physics.
In the 20th century, increased understanding of the properties of matter resulted in the identification of many states of matter. This list includes some notable examples.
Low-energy states of matter
Classical states
Solid: A solid holds a definite shape and
volume and then without the need of a container. The particles are held very close to each other.
Amorphous solid: A solid in which there is no far-range order of the positions of the atoms.
Crystalline solid: A solid in which atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in regular order.
Quasicrystal: A solid in which the positions of the atoms have long-range order, but this is not in a repeating pattern.
Liquid: A mostly non-compressible
fluid. Able to conform to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure.
Gas: A compressible fluid. Not only will a gas take the shape of its container but it will also expand to fill the container.
Mesomorphic states: States of matter intermediate between solid and liquid.
Plastic crystal: A molecular solid with long-range positional order but with constituent molecules retaining rotational freedom.
Liquid crystal: Properties intermediate between liquids and crystals. Generally, able to flow like a liquid but exhibiting long-range orientational order.
Supercritical fluid: At sufficiently high temperatures and pressures, the distinction between liquid and gas disappears.
Plasma: Unlike gases, which are composed of neutral atoms, plasma contains a significant number of free electrons and ionized atoms. It may self-generate magnetic fields and electric currents and responds strongly and collectively to
electromagnetic forces.[1]
Condensates, superfluids and superconductors
Bose–Einstein condensate: A phase in which a large number of
bosons all inhabit the same
quantum state, in effect becoming one single wave/particle. This is a low-energy phase that can only be formed in laboratory conditions and at very low temperatures. It must be close to zero kelvin, or
absolute zero.
Satyendra Nath Bose and
Albert Einstein predicted the existence of such a state in the 1920s, but it was not observed until 1995 by
Eric Cornell and
Carl Wieman.
Fermionic condensate: Similar to the Bose-Einstein condensate but composed of
fermions, also known as Fermi-Dirac condensate. The
Pauli exclusion principle prevents fermions from entering the same quantum state, but a pair of fermions can be bound to each other and behave like a boson, and two or more such pairs can occupy quantum states of a given total momentum without restriction.
Ferromagnetic superconductor: Materials that display intrinsic coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity.
Charge-4e superconductor: A proposed state in which electrons are not bound as Cooper pairs but as quadruplets of electrons.
Superfluid: A phase achieved by a few
cryogenic liquids at extreme temperature at which they become able to flow without
friction. A superfluid can flow up the side of an open container and down the outside. Placing a superfluid in a spinning container will result in
quantized vortices.
Supersolid: similar to a superfluid, a supersolid can move without friction but retains a rigid shape.
Magnetic states
Ferromagnetism: A state of matter with spontaneous magnetization.
Antiferromagnetism: A state of matter in which the neighboring spin are antiparallel with each other, and there is no net magnetization.
Ferrimagnetism: A state in which local moments partially cancel.
Altermagnetism: A state with zero net magnetization and spin-split electronic bands.
Spin-density wave: An ordered state in which spin density is periodically modulated.
Helimagnetism: A state with spatially rotating magnetic order.
Spin glass: A magnetic state characterized by randomness.
Quantum spin liquid: A disordered state in a system of interacting quantum spins which preserves its disorder to very low temperatures, unlike other disordered states.
Electronically ordered states
Ferroelectricity: A state of matter with spontaneous electric polarization.
Antiferroelectricity: A state of matter in which the adjacent electric dipoles point in opposite directions.
Charge density wave: An ordered state in which charge density is periodically modulated.
Topological states of matter
Quantum Hall state: A topological state of matter with quantized Hall resistance.
Fractional quantum Hall state: A state with fractionally charged quasiparticles. Hall resistance is quantized to fractional multiples of resistance quantum.
Quantum spin Hall state: a theoretical phase that may pave the way for the development of electronic devices that dissipate less energy and generate less heat. This is a derivative of the quantum Hall state of matter.
Quantum anomalous Hall state: A state which has a quantized Hall resistance even in the absence of external magnetic field.
Topological insulator: a material whose interior behaves as an electrical insulator while its surface behaves as an electrical conductor.
Fractional Chern insulator: A generalization of fractional quantum Hall state to electrons on a lattice.
Metallic and insulating states of materials can be considered as different
quantum phases of matter connected by a
metal-insulator transition. Materials can be classified by the structure of their Fermi surface and zero-temperature dc conductivity as follows:[4]
Neutron-degenerate matter: Found in
neutron stars. Vast gravitational pressure compresses atoms so strongly that the electrons are forced to combine with protons via
inverse beta decay, resulting in a super dense conglomeration of neutrons. (Normally
free neutrons outside an atomic nucleus will
decay with a half-life of just under fifteen minutes, but in a neutron star, as in the nucleus of an atom, other effects stabilize the neutrons.)
Quark–gluon plasma: A phase in which
quarks become free and able to move independently (rather than being perpetually bound into particles, or bound to each other in a quantum lock where exerting force adds energy and eventually solidifies into another quark) in an ocean of
gluons (subatomic particles that transmit the
strong force that binds quarks together). May be briefly attainable in
particle accelerators, or possibly inside
neutron stars.
For up to 10−35 seconds after the
Big Bang, the energy density of the universe was so high that the
four forces of nature –
strong,
weak,
electromagnetic, and
gravitational – are thought to have been unified into one single force. The state of matter at this time is unknown. As the universe expanded, the temperature and density dropped and the gravitational force separated, a process called
symmetry breaking.
References
^A. Pickover, Clifford (2011). "Plasma". The Physics Book. Sterling. pp. 248–249.
ISBN978-1-4027-7861-2.
Matter organizes into various
phases or
states of matter depending on its constituents and external factors like
pressure and
temperature. In common temperatures and pressures, atoms form the three classical states of matter:
solid,
liquid and
gas. Complex molecules can also form various
mesophases such as
liquid crystals, which are intermediate between the liquid and solid phases. At high temperatures or strong electromagnetic fields atoms become ionized, forming
plasma.
At low temperatures, the electrons of solid materials can also organize into various electronic phases of matter, such as the
superconducting state, which is characterized by vanishing
resistivity. Magnetic states such as
ferromagnetism and
antiferromagnetism can also be regarded as phases of matter in which the electronic and
nuclear spins organize into different patterns. Such states of matter are studied in
condensed matter physics.
In extreme conditions found in some stars and in the early universe, atoms break into their constituents and matter exists as some form of
degenerate matter or
quark matter. Such states of matter are studied in
high-energy physics.
In the 20th century, increased understanding of the properties of matter resulted in the identification of many states of matter. This list includes some notable examples.
Low-energy states of matter
Classical states
Solid: A solid holds a definite shape and
volume and then without the need of a container. The particles are held very close to each other.
Amorphous solid: A solid in which there is no far-range order of the positions of the atoms.
Crystalline solid: A solid in which atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in regular order.
Quasicrystal: A solid in which the positions of the atoms have long-range order, but this is not in a repeating pattern.
Liquid: A mostly non-compressible
fluid. Able to conform to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure.
Gas: A compressible fluid. Not only will a gas take the shape of its container but it will also expand to fill the container.
Mesomorphic states: States of matter intermediate between solid and liquid.
Plastic crystal: A molecular solid with long-range positional order but with constituent molecules retaining rotational freedom.
Liquid crystal: Properties intermediate between liquids and crystals. Generally, able to flow like a liquid but exhibiting long-range orientational order.
Supercritical fluid: At sufficiently high temperatures and pressures, the distinction between liquid and gas disappears.
Plasma: Unlike gases, which are composed of neutral atoms, plasma contains a significant number of free electrons and ionized atoms. It may self-generate magnetic fields and electric currents and responds strongly and collectively to
electromagnetic forces.[1]
Condensates, superfluids and superconductors
Bose–Einstein condensate: A phase in which a large number of
bosons all inhabit the same
quantum state, in effect becoming one single wave/particle. This is a low-energy phase that can only be formed in laboratory conditions and at very low temperatures. It must be close to zero kelvin, or
absolute zero.
Satyendra Nath Bose and
Albert Einstein predicted the existence of such a state in the 1920s, but it was not observed until 1995 by
Eric Cornell and
Carl Wieman.
Fermionic condensate: Similar to the Bose-Einstein condensate but composed of
fermions, also known as Fermi-Dirac condensate. The
Pauli exclusion principle prevents fermions from entering the same quantum state, but a pair of fermions can be bound to each other and behave like a boson, and two or more such pairs can occupy quantum states of a given total momentum without restriction.
Ferromagnetic superconductor: Materials that display intrinsic coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity.
Charge-4e superconductor: A proposed state in which electrons are not bound as Cooper pairs but as quadruplets of electrons.
Superfluid: A phase achieved by a few
cryogenic liquids at extreme temperature at which they become able to flow without
friction. A superfluid can flow up the side of an open container and down the outside. Placing a superfluid in a spinning container will result in
quantized vortices.
Supersolid: similar to a superfluid, a supersolid can move without friction but retains a rigid shape.
Magnetic states
Ferromagnetism: A state of matter with spontaneous magnetization.
Antiferromagnetism: A state of matter in which the neighboring spin are antiparallel with each other, and there is no net magnetization.
Ferrimagnetism: A state in which local moments partially cancel.
Altermagnetism: A state with zero net magnetization and spin-split electronic bands.
Spin-density wave: An ordered state in which spin density is periodically modulated.
Helimagnetism: A state with spatially rotating magnetic order.
Spin glass: A magnetic state characterized by randomness.
Quantum spin liquid: A disordered state in a system of interacting quantum spins which preserves its disorder to very low temperatures, unlike other disordered states.
Electronically ordered states
Ferroelectricity: A state of matter with spontaneous electric polarization.
Antiferroelectricity: A state of matter in which the adjacent electric dipoles point in opposite directions.
Charge density wave: An ordered state in which charge density is periodically modulated.
Topological states of matter
Quantum Hall state: A topological state of matter with quantized Hall resistance.
Fractional quantum Hall state: A state with fractionally charged quasiparticles. Hall resistance is quantized to fractional multiples of resistance quantum.
Quantum spin Hall state: a theoretical phase that may pave the way for the development of electronic devices that dissipate less energy and generate less heat. This is a derivative of the quantum Hall state of matter.
Quantum anomalous Hall state: A state which has a quantized Hall resistance even in the absence of external magnetic field.
Topological insulator: a material whose interior behaves as an electrical insulator while its surface behaves as an electrical conductor.
Fractional Chern insulator: A generalization of fractional quantum Hall state to electrons on a lattice.
Metallic and insulating states of materials can be considered as different
quantum phases of matter connected by a
metal-insulator transition. Materials can be classified by the structure of their Fermi surface and zero-temperature dc conductivity as follows:[4]
Neutron-degenerate matter: Found in
neutron stars. Vast gravitational pressure compresses atoms so strongly that the electrons are forced to combine with protons via
inverse beta decay, resulting in a super dense conglomeration of neutrons. (Normally
free neutrons outside an atomic nucleus will
decay with a half-life of just under fifteen minutes, but in a neutron star, as in the nucleus of an atom, other effects stabilize the neutrons.)
Quark–gluon plasma: A phase in which
quarks become free and able to move independently (rather than being perpetually bound into particles, or bound to each other in a quantum lock where exerting force adds energy and eventually solidifies into another quark) in an ocean of
gluons (subatomic particles that transmit the
strong force that binds quarks together). May be briefly attainable in
particle accelerators, or possibly inside
neutron stars.
For up to 10−35 seconds after the
Big Bang, the energy density of the universe was so high that the
four forces of nature –
strong,
weak,
electromagnetic, and
gravitational – are thought to have been unified into one single force. The state of matter at this time is unknown. As the universe expanded, the temperature and density dropped and the gravitational force separated, a process called
symmetry breaking.
References
^A. Pickover, Clifford (2011). "Plasma". The Physics Book. Sterling. pp. 248–249.
ISBN978-1-4027-7861-2.