As I mentioned in last week's discussion, I'd like to try a little experiment
regarding the communication of condensed matter physics. I'd like anybody who
is interested to take a shot at providing us journalists some help at grasping
condensed-matter physics basics.

I've read a couple of papers and perused some tables of contents to come up
with the following list of terms, most of which are Greek to journalists. I'd
like you to choose your favorite term or two (or however many you like) and
write a journalist-friendly definition.

I'd like for you to use the following format: First, a one-sentence
straightforward definition, followed by a second sentence giving a colorful,
descriptive, visual translation in metaphorical language. (You may add a third
sentence, if you wish, indicating something about the term's importance -- a
familiar example, practical application, etc.)

For example:

PLASMON First sentence: The quanta of waves produced in matter by collective
effects of large number of electrons disturbed from equilibrium.  Second
sentence: It's the subatomic tsunami that happens when something shakes up a
metal's electrons like an earthquake.  Third sentence: Plasmons might be
useful in designing solar power cells or holographic imaging devices.

Note: I have no idea whether the "subatomic tsunami" sentence is really an apt
metaphor for plasmon -- that's just illustrating the sort of language to shoot
for.

Anyway, I'd like to use some of your gems of description at the next science
journalism discussion session, which will be Friday May 6.

Thanks for your help. Here's the list.
(If your favorite term isn't on it, please feel free to add it.)

Adiabaticity

Antiferromagnetism

Broken symmetry

Copolymer melts

Collective modes

Collective oscillations

Correlated matter

Coupling constant

Density matrix

Exciton

Electron fluid

Fermi gas

Fermi liquid

Fractional quantum Hall effect

Heavy electron physics

Hysteresis loops

Imaginary time

Ising model

Kondo effect

Local moments

Many body physics

Mean field
Theory/approximation/etc

Opalescence

Optical lattice

Order parameter

Percolation

Phase Space

Phase transition

Photonic crystal

Plasmons

Prandtl number

Pseudogap

Quantized Hall effect

Quantum criticality
Quantum Critical Point

Quasiparticle

Renormalization
Renormalization group

Universality