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Condensed matter physics

Amorphous solid
Non-crystalline material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in a disordered tridimensional network
Atomic packing factor
Fraction of volume in a crystal structure that is occupied by the constituent particles
Band gap
Energy range in a solid where no electron states can exist
Bloch's theorem
Fundamental theorem in condensed matter physics
Boiling
Physical process
Boiling point
Temperature at which a substance changes from liquid into vapor
Bonding in solids
Classification of bondings
Bose gas
State of matter of many bosons
Bose–Einstein condensate
State of matter
Bravais lattice
An infinite array of discrete points in three dimensional space generated by a set of discrete translation operations
Condensation
Change of the physical state of matter from gas phase into liquid phase; reverse of evaporation
Condensed matter physics
Branch of physics
Coordination number
Number of atoms, molecules or ions bonded to in a molecule or crystal
Critical point (thermodynamics)
Temperature and pressure point where phase boundaries disappear
Crystal
Solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an ordered pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions
Crystal engineering
Designing solid structures with tailored properties
Crystal growth
After a first nucleation, second step of crystallization consisting in the regular accretion of atoms or ions at the surface of the crystal
Crystal optics
Sub-branch of optical physics
Crystal polymorphism
Ability of a solid material to exist in more than one form or crystal structure
Crystal structure
Ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline material
Crystal system
Classification of crystalline materials by their three-dimensional structural geometry
Crystal twinning
Two separate crystals sharing some of the same crystal lattice points in a symmetrical manner
Crystallization
Process by which a solid with a highly organised atomic or molecular structure forms
Crystallographic defect
Disruption of the periodicity of a crystal lattice
Crystallography
Scientific study of crystal structure
Cubic crystal system
Lattice point group
Curie temperature
Temperature above which magnetic properties change
Degenerate matter
Type of dense exotic matter in physics
Deposition (phase transition)
Transition from a gas to a solid
Dislocation
Linear crystallographic defect or irregularity
Einstein solid
Model of a crystalline solid
Electron hole
Conceptual and mathematical opposite of an electron
Electronic band structure
Describes the range of energies that an electron within the solid may have and ranges of energy that it may not have
Evaporation
Type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs from its surface; surface phenomenon
Fermi gas
Physical model of gases composed of many non-interacting identical fermions
Free electron model
A simple model for the behaviour of valence electrons in a crystal structure of a metallic solid
Freezing
Phase transition in which a liquid turns into a solid due to a decrease in thermal energy
Gas (disambiguation)
Topics referred to by the same term
Grain boundary
Concept in materials science
Grain growth
Increase in the size of crystallites in a material at high temperatures
Hexagonal crystal family
Lattice point group
Ionization
Process by which atoms or molecules acquire charge by gaining or losing electrons
Liquid
State of matter
Liquid crystal
State of matter with properties of both conventional liquids and crystals
Melting
Material phase change
Melting point
Temperature at which a solid turns liquid
Mesoscopic physics
A subdiscipline of condensed matter physics that deals with materials of an intermediate length
Metallic hydrogen
Phase of hydrogen
Miller index
Description of crystal lattice planes
Miscibility
Ability of two substances to form a homogeneous solution when mixed regardless of concentration
Misorientation
Difference in orientation between two crystallites in a polycrystalline material
Monoclinic crystal system
One of the 7 crystal systems in crystallography
Orthorhombic crystal system
Lattice point group
Phase (matter)
Region of uniform physical properties
Phase diagram
Chart used to show conditions at which physical phases of a substance occur
Phase rule
General principle in thermodynamics regarding pVT systems in equilibrium
Phase transition
Physical process of transition between basic states of matter
Plasma (physics)
One of the four fundamental states of matter
Plasma recombination
Process by which positive ions of a plasma capture a free (energetic) electron and combine with electrons or negative ions to form new neutral atoms (gas); exothermic reaction, meaning heat releasing
Quasiparticle
Concept in condensed matter physics
Rock magnetism
The study of magnetism in rocks
Soft matter
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
Solid
One of the four fundamental states of matter
Solid-state physics
Branch of physics of matter in the solid state
State of matter
Forms which matter can take
Sublimation (phase transition)
Transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas state
Supercritical fluid
State of matter
Superfluidity
Non-classical state of matter
Supersolid
Spatially ordered material with superfluid properties
Tetragonal crystal system
Lattice point group
Triclinic crystal system
One of the 7 crystal systems, described by vectors of unequal length and the angles between these vectors must all be different and may not include 90°
Triple point
Thermodynamic point where three matter phases exist
Unit cell
Repeating unit formed by the vectors spanning the points of a lattice
Vacancy defect
Type of point defect in a crystal, in which an atom is missing from one of the lattice sites
Valence and conduction bands
Electron energy bands which determine the electrical conductivity of a material
Vapor
Substances in the gas phase at a temperature lower than its critical point
Vaporization
Phase transition from the liquid phase to vapor (either through evaporation or boiling)
X-ray crystallography
Technique used in studying crystal structure