Phase transitions in crystalline materials

We reviewed structural phase transitions in crystalline materials, especially recent simulations and experiments on the shock-induced transitions in iron. They both confirmed a phase transition wave in the picosecond to nanosecond time scale, inferred previously from wave profile analyses. The nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation suggests modification of pair potentials from temperature-induced to shock-induced transitions. The x-ray diffraction measurements are consistent with a compression and shuffle mechanism and in good agreement with simulation results.