Magnetic crystals are ideal systems to study the universal properties of phase transitions, particularly systems with quenched randomness and frustration. Pure systems with different symmetries provide the foundation for studies in corresponding systems with quenched randomness. Because phenomena near phase transitions have universal properties, results from bulk magnetic crystals provide a basis for understanding phase transitions in films and nanoparticles, as well as many non-magnetic materials.This motivates the subject of this book, which discusses phase transitions studies in magnetic crystals from the perspective of an experimentalist who has done extensive work in the field. The advantage is that many experimental techniques are described in sufficient detail for a good understanding of the results and their comparison to theory.

A clear, concise and rigorous textbook covering phase transitions in the context of advances in electronic structure and statistical mechanics.

The magnetocaloric effect describes the change in temperature of a magnetic material under adiabatic conditions through the application or removal of an external magnetic field. This effect is particularly pronounced at temperatures and fields corresponding to magnetic phase transitions, and it is a powerful and widely used tool for investigating t

This book deals with the phenomenological theory of first-order structural phase transitions, with a special emphasis on reconstructive transformations in which a group-subgroup relationship between the symmetries of the phases is absent. It starts with a unified presentation of the current approach to first-order phase transitions, using the more recent results of the Landau theory of phase transitions and of the theory of singularities. A general theory of reconstructive phase transitions is then formulated, in which the structures surrounding a transition are expressed in terms of density-waves, providing a natural definition of the transition order-parameters, and a description of the corresponding phase diagrams and relevant physical properties. The applicability of the theory is illustrated by a large number of concrete examples pertaining to the various classes of reconstructive transitions: allotropic transformations of the elements, displacive and order-disorder transformations in metals, alloys and related structures, crystal-quasicrystal transformations.

The author's experimental discoveries in the field of solid-state phase transitions have brought about a thorough explanation of this phenomenon, including the puzzling nature of "lamda-anomalies." These phase transitions are found to be always a nucleation and crystal growth in a solid medium, while "second (or higher) order" phase transitions are a misconception: they do not exist. Ramifications of this new understanding are substatial. In this book the reader will find the first unified account for fundamentals of the three great areas of solid-state physics? Phase transitions, ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity, free of the inconsistencies of the conventional theories.

Phase diagrams are "maps" materials scientists often use to design new materials. They define what compounds and solutions are formed and their respective compositions and amounts when several elements are mixed together under a certain temperature and pressure. This monograph is the most comprehensive reference book on experimental methods for phase diagram determination. It covers a wide range of methods that have been used to determine phase diagrams of metals, ceramics, slags, and hydrides.* Extensive discussion on methodologies of experimental measurements and data assessments * Written by experts around the world, covering both traditional and combinatorial methodologies* A must-read for experimental measurements of phase diagrams

This important and timely book deals with the theoretical and experimental investigation of the phase transitions which occur in complex fluid systems, namely lyotropic systems, microemulsions, colloids, gels, polymers, biological membranes, Langmuir monolayers, and ferrofluids. It contains 20-odd review papers from the major contributors to this rapidly growing field of research, summarizing the main results obtained in the description and understanding of the phase transitions taking place between the isotopic, nematic, cholesteric, lamellar, hexagonal, and cubic mesophases of complex fluids.