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The ''λ'' (lambda) universality class is a group in
condensed matter physics Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid State of matter, phases, that arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms and elec ...
. It regroups several systems possessing strong analogies, namely,
superfluids Superfluidity is the characteristic property of a fluid with zero viscosity which therefore flows without any loss of kinetic energy. When stirred, a superfluid forms vortices that continue to rotate indefinitely. Superfluidity occurs in two i ...
,
superconductors Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in superconductors: materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic fields are expelled from the material. Unlike an ordinary metallic conductor, whose resistance decreases ...
and smectics (
liquid crystal Liquid crystal (LC) is a state of matter whose properties are between those of conventional liquids and those of solid crystals. For example, a liquid crystal can flow like a liquid, but its molecules may be oriented in a common direction as i ...
s). All these systems are expected to belong to the same universality class for the thermodynamic critical properties of the phase transition. While these systems are quite different at the first glance, they all are described by similar formalisms and their typical phase diagrams are identical.


See also

*
Superfluid Superfluidity is the characteristic property of a fluid with zero viscosity which therefore flows without any loss of kinetic energy. When stirred, a superfluid forms vortex, vortices that continue to rotate indefinitely. Superfluidity occurs ...
* Superconductor *
Liquid crystal Liquid crystal (LC) is a state of matter whose properties are between those of conventional liquids and those of solid crystals. For example, a liquid crystal can flow like a liquid, but its molecules may be oriented in a common direction as i ...
*
Phase transition In physics, chemistry, and other related fields like biology, a phase transition (or phase change) is the physical process of transition between one state of a medium and another. Commonly the term is used to refer to changes among the basic Sta ...
*
Renormalization group In theoretical physics, the renormalization group (RG) is a formal apparatus that allows systematic investigation of the changes of a physical system as viewed at different scales. In particle physics, it reflects the changes in the underlying p ...
* Topological defect


References


Books

* Chaikin P. M. and Lubensky T. C. ''Principles of Condensed Matter Physics'' (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge) 1995, sect.9. * Feynman R. P. ''Progress in Low Temperature Physics'' Vol.1, edited by C. Gorter (North Holland, Amsterdam) 1955.


Journal articles

* * * * * * * Translated as: * {{cite journal , last1=Renn , first1=S. R. , last2=Lubensky , first2=T. C. , title=Abrikosov dislocation lattice in a model of the cholesteric–to–smectic-Atransition , journal=Physical Review A , publisher=American Physical Society (APS) , volume=38 , issue=4 , date=1 July 1988 , issn=0556-2791 , doi=10.1103/physreva.38.2132 , pmid=9900613 , pages=2132–2147, bibcode=1988PhRvA..38.2132R Condensed matter physics Critical phenomena Phase transitions Phases of matter