List of states of matter

List of States of Matter

The states of matter refer to the distinct forms that different phases of matter take on. Historically, the distinction among these states was based on qualitative differences in properties. Traditionally, the three fundamental states of matter are solid, liquid, and gas. However, advances in science have revealed that this classification is overly simplistic. This article provides an overview of the recognized states of matter, including both the classical states and the more complex states discovered through modern physics.

Classical States of Matter

• Solid: Characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to changes of shape or volume. Atoms or molecules in solids are closely packed in a fixed arrangement.
• Liquid: A state in which matter maintains a fixed volume but adapts to the shape of its container. Liquids are characterized by the inability to withstand shear stress.
• Gas: In this state, matter expands to occupy the volume and shape of its container. Gases are compressible and form homogeneous mixtures with other gases.

Plasma

• Plasma: Often referred to as the fourth state of matter, it consists of a gas of ions – atoms which have some of their orbital electrons removed – and free electrons. Plasma is found naturally in stars, including the sun.

Low-Temperature States

• Bose-Einstein Condensate: A state of matter formed at temperatures close to absolute zero. At this temperature, a group of atoms is cooled to near absolute zero, causing them to occupy the same space and quantum state, essentially behaving as a single quantum entity.
• Fermionic Condensate: Similar to the Bose-Einstein condensate but formed from fermions instead of bosons. This state of matter can also occur at extremely low temperatures.

High-Energy States

• Quark-Gluon Plasma: A state of matter that is believed to have existed just after the Big Bang. In this state, quarks (which make up protons and neutrons) and gluons (which mediate the strong force that holds quarks together) are free and not confined within particles.

Other States

• Supercritical Fluid: A state of matter that occurs when a substance is above its critical temperature and pressure, causing it to behave as both a liquid and a gas.
• Rydberg Matter: A phase of matter formed by the excitation of electrons in a gas to high energy levels, creating a state that behaves differently from a plasma.
• Liquid Crystal: Matter that has properties between those of a conventional liquid and those of a solid crystal. For instance, liquid crystals may flow like a liquid but have molecules that are oriented in a crystal-like way.

Theoretical States

• String-net Liquid: A theoretical state of matter that is proposed to support the existence of fundamentally massless particles. It is based on the idea of a quantum spin liquid, with the spins of particles forming a network.
• Time Crystals: A state of matter that has structure not only in space but also in time, leading to a ground state that repeats in time.

See Also

• Phase transition
• Critical point
• Triple point