Most theories of solid state and soft matter physics were developed independently; thus, a few physical concepts are applicable to both. Recent research, however, particularly a study by Elbio Dagotto, found that correlated electrons in solid-state physical systems can sometimes present a spatially inhomogeneous phase accompanied by extraordinarily slow electron dynamics, which resembles a phase observed in soft-matter systems.
"This phenomenon causes interesting effects, such as colossal magnetoresistance, and it also appears crucial to understand the high-temperature superconductors," Dagotto wrote in his paper. "The spontaneous emergence of electronic nanometer-scale structures in transition metal oxides, and the existence of many competing states, are properties often associated with complex matter where nonlinearities dominate, such as soft materials and biological systems."
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