order parameter
nounUK /ˈɔːdə pəˈræmɪtə/
US /ˈɔːrdər pəˈræmɪtər/
A number that tells you how neat and organized a system is.
When the water froze into ice, the order parameter jumped to a high value.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. In physics, a quantity that is zero in a disordered phase and nonzero in an ordered phase.
Below the critical temperature, the magnetization serves as the order parameter.
3. A mathematical measure used to describe the degree of pattern or structure in a material.
The researchers tracked the order parameter to see how the crystal formed.
4. A variable that distinguishes different phases of a system in statistical mechanics.
The order parameter changed sharply at the phase transition.