Metastabilen

Metastabilen (metastability) describes a state in which a system occupies a metastable configuration—a local minimum of energy or free energy that is not the global minimum. Such a state can persist for long times yet is not permanently stable: a sufficiently large perturbation or fluctuation can overcome the energy barrier and drive the system to a more stable state. The lifetime of a metastable state depends on barrier height, temperature, and the system’s dynamics.

In chemistry and materials science, metastable phases arise when a substance remains in a form that is not thermodynamically favored under current conditions. Examples include supercooled liquids, supersaturated solutions, and metastable polymorphs. Transitions typically require nucleation and can be influenced by impurities, pressure, or temperature changes. Glass is another well-known metastable state of matter, a non-crystalline solid that can persist for long periods under ordinary conditions.

In physics and cosmology, metastability appears as local minima in energy landscapes or field potentials. A system in a false vacuum or metastable phase may decay to a more stable state through thermal activation or quantum tunneling, often via the nucleation of a critical droplet or bubble. Such processes can be slow or rapid, depending on the barrier and the environment.

In electronics and computing, metastability refers to an unstable intermediate state that can occur in sequential circuits when inputs do not satisfy timing requirements. The resulting uncertain output can undermine reliability, so designers use synchronizers and timing margins to minimize errors.