Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-condensed-matter-physics-major-option-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2016/2/e/solution
Past exam of the condensed matter physics major option course of the University of Oxford 2016 2 e Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
In equilibrium without hysteresis, the system selects the lower free-energy minimum. At the order parameter jumps between and , which identifies a first-order phase transition. Differentiating the minimized free energy does not add a contribution because . Thus the polarization-dependent entropy is , givingThe heat absorbed on heating from the ordered to the disordered phase isThe same amount is released on cooling. If is defined in the opposite direction, the signed transition heat is correspondingly negative.
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