The Physics of Structural Phase Transitions

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

   PDF

2. Basic Concepts

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-2

      PDF

   2. Thermodynamical Principles and the Landau Theory of Phase Transitions

      • Minoru Fujimoto

      Pages 3-27

   3. Order Variables and Their Correlations, and the Mean-Field Approximation

      • Minoru Fujimoto

      Pages 28-40

   4. Pseudospins and Their Collective Modes in Displacive Crystals

      • Minoru Fujimoto

      Pages 41-61

   5. Soft Lattice Modes and Pseudospin Condensates

      • Minoru Fujimoto

      Pages 62-90

   6. Pinning and Dynamics of Pseudospin Condensates in Practical Crystals

      • Minoru Fujimoto

      Pages 91-109

3. Experimental Studies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 111-112

      PDF

   2. Diffuse X-Ray Diffraction and Neutron Inelastic Scattering from Modulated Crystals

      • Minoru Fujimoto

      Pages 113-132

   3. Light Scattering and Dielectric Studies on Modulated Crystals

      • Minoru Fujimoto

      Pages 133-150

   4. The Spin Hamiltonian and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

      • Minoru Fujimoto

      Pages 151-173

   5. Magnetic Resonance Sampling and Nuclear Spin Relaxation Studies of Pseudospin Condensates

      • Minoru Fujimoto

      Pages 174-205

   6. Structural Phase Transitions in Miscellaneous Systems

      • Minoru Fujimoto

      Pages 206-235

4. Back Matter

   Pages 237-247

   PDF

Phase transitions in which crystalline solids undergo structural changes present an interesting problem in the interplay between the crystal structure and the ordering process. This text, intended for readers with some prior knowledge of condensed-matter physics, emphasizes the basic physics behind such spontaneous structural changes in crystals. Starting with the relevant thermodynamic principles, the book discusses the nature of order variables and their collective motion in a crystal lattice; in a structural phase transition a singularity in such a collective mode is responsible for the lattice instability, as revealed by soft phonons. This mechanism is analogous to the interplay of a charge-density wave and a periodically deformed lattice in low- dimensional conductors. The text also describes experimental methods for modulated crystal structures and gives examples of structural changes in representative systems. The book is divided into two parts. The first, theoretical, part includes such topics as: the Landau theory of phase transitions; statistics, correlations and the mean-field approximation; pseudospins and their collective modes; soft lattice modes and pseudospin condensates; lattice imperfections and their role in the phase transitions of real crystals. The second part discusses experimental studies of modulated crystals using x-ray diffraction, neutron inelastic scattering, light scattering, dielectric measurements, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. While the presence of modulated structures in the critical region was not particularly suggested in the published.

• crystal
• crystal structure
• phase transition
• scattering

From the reviews of the second edition:

"This is a compact and rather consistent treatise of the Physics of Structural Phase Transitions (PSPT). Since the presentation is based on a very transparent pseudospin condensate approach and on the Landau mean-field theory, this book is accessible to students at under-graduate and post-graduate levels." (Valentin Zagrebnov, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1110 (12), 2007)

• Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada

  Minoru Fujimoto

Policies and ethics