ORDER PARAMETER
Charles François (2004). ORDER PARAMETER, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 2388.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2388 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
- “Global, macrolevel parameter which describes the structures established in a system” (R. FIVAZ, 1991, p.32).
The order parameter was introduced in the 1940s by the Russian physicist Lev LANDAU.
According to K.DE GREENE's interpretation of H. HAKEN: “The order parameter represents the macroscopic structure or field emergent out of interactions at the more microscopic level. The correlation length … is an order parameter. In phase transitions order parameters can increase discontinuously from zero (first-order transition) in the new phase, or they can increase continuously (second-order transition). The emergence of order is an example of symmetry breaking… an important concept in field theories…
- “The order parameter is a macroscopic collective field, emergent at critical points out of myriad interactions at the microlevel. (It) expresses stochastic generation of the new (structural change) and deterministic maintenance of the now established (structural constancy). The emergence of the order parameter represents a great loss of degrees of freedom at the microlevel… (which) now becomes slaved to the order parameter” (1994, p.14).
See also
Phase locking