Classical phase transitions like the boiling of water are driven by changes of the temperature. At absolute zero temperature, however, so-called quantum phase transitions (QPTs) between competing, nearly degenerate phases may occur. Consequently, such transitions have to be driven by non-thermal control parameters, e.g., pressure, chemical doping and magnetic field. For quite some time, QPTs have been considered mere curiosities in the mind of theoretical physicists, but in recent years they developed into a subject of worldwide research activities of both theorists and experimentalists.
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