Quantum model rewrites rules for material phase transitions

Researchers from the University of South Florida, Georgia Institute of Technology, Trinity College Dublin, and Queen's University Belfast have developed a new approach to modeling phase transitions in ferroelectric and antiferroelectric materials. The team demonstrates that these transitions, triggered by both temperature and electric fields and characterized by hysteresis loops, can be more accurately modeled using quantum mechanics rather than traditional classical methods. This work overcomes limitations of existing simulations and highlights the fundamental role of quantum effects in materials long considered purely classical. The researchers anticipate this framework will extend to modeling a wide range of phase transitions, including magnetic and electronic phenomena. Simulations…