We explore the low-temperature behavior of the Abelian Higgs model in AdS4, away from the probe limit in which back-reaction of matter fields on the metric can be neglected. Over a significant range of charges for the complex scalar, we observe a second order phase transition at finite temperature. The symmetry-breaking states are superconducting black holes. At least when the charge of the sca...

A compact gas high-pressure cell with four windows for optical studies of phase transitions at low temperature and hydrostatic pressure up to 5 kilobars has been made. Techniques for sealing window components are discussed.

We study a three-dimensional plaquette spin model whose low temperature dynamics is glassy, due to localized defects and effective kinetic constraints. The thermodynamics of this system is smooth at all temperatures. We show that coupling it to a second system with a fixed (quenched) configuration leads to a phase transition, at finite coupling. The order parameter is the overlap between the co...

Solid polymorphism in five compounds of the type [Me(H20)6](BF4)2 , where Me = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Zn, have been studied in the temperature range 120 330 K by DSC. For each substance at least three solid modifications have been found. In addition, for compounds with Me = Mn, Fe and Zn some new low temperature phase transitions have been observed. The transition temperatures for the [Me(H20)6](BF...

The low frequency anelastic properties of CDW compounds near the Peierls phase transition are studied in a forced sub-resonant pendulum suitable for delicate (TaSe,), I samples. The influence of measurement parameters such as frequency, oscillation amplitude, temperature rate and low temperature cycles, are obtained. The principal effects found are : the Peierls transition, a higher temperature...

To elucidate a quantum phase transition (QPT) in Bi(2)Sr(2-x)La(x)CuO(6+delta), we measure charge and heat transport properties at very low temperatures and examine the following characteristics for a wide range of doping: normal-state resistivity anisotropy under 58 T, temperature dependence of the in-plane thermal conductivity kappa(ab), and the magnetic-field dependence of kappa(ab). It turn...

Fluids in which the interparticle potential has a hard core, is attractive at moderate separations, and repulsive at large separations are known to exhibit unusual phase behavior, including stable inhomogeneous phases. Here we report a joint simulation and theoretical study of such a fluid, focusing on the relationship between the liquid-vapor transition line and any new phases. The phase diagr...

The phase transition in the Weinberg-Salam-Glashow (GSW) electroweak theory extended by the majoron and dilaton field is considered. The possibility of the boson condensation in the extreme conditions in the standard electroweak theory is shown. The first order phase transition induces by the radiative corrections (the Coleman-Weinberg potential) in the presence of matter was considered. Due to...

We interpret experimentally known B-Mg-Ru crystals as quasicrystal approximants whose deterministic decoration of tiles by atoms can be extended quasiperiodically. Experimentally observed disorder corresponds to phason fluctuations. First-principles total energy calculations find many distinct tilings close to stability and suggest a phase transition from a crystalline state at low temperatures...