Events

Landau theory of 2nd order phase transitions supplemented by  the  scaling  theory  of  critical  fluctuations  in  a nearest vicinity  of  critical  temperature T_c was accepted as a universal paradigm for description of phase transitions with broken symmetry.

During recent decade new materials  and  low-dimensional artificial structures where  found,  where  phase  transitions  can  occur  at T_c -> 0. In these materials (i) the "nearest vicinity" of zero T_c can extend up to room temperatures;  (ii)  several  order parameter may compete,  so  that  the  notion  of  broken  symmetry should be revisited;  (iii)  some of these transitions cannot be described by conventional order parameter.  "Quantum criticality"  is  the label used to denote the paradigm  which is expected to arise as a result of study of these exotic systems.