Application of Induced Representations of Space Groups to Second Order Phase Transitions

Abstract

Group-theoretical methods have proven to be very useful in the analysis of the symmetry changes in solid state continuous (second order) phase transitions [7.1, 2] and have been systematically applied to a large number of systems [7.3]. The Landau theory of continuous phase transitions is the basis of this symmetry analysis [7.1]. Symmetry rules used in the Landau theory are briefly reviewed in the next section.