Metastability is ubiquitous appearing in various fields of physics and chemistry. However, its interpretation alters between individual researchers. In condensed matter physics, phase transitions in materials are studied as a function of thermodynamic parameters such as pressure and magnetic field. Metastability often appears as a history dependence of the parameter sweeps or hysteresis. In solid-state chemistry and metallurgy, metastable materials are realized in low-temperature synthesis and thermal quench. Although there should be a common concept based on thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, communication between different research fields is limited as they are divided by energy and time scales or the involving degrees of freedom. This workshop aims to connect these research fields by focusing on basic principles underlying metastable states.
One of the central issues is how to understand the existence of metastable states from fundamental laws of physics. Although metastability is phenomenologically expressed as a local minimum in an energy landscape, its definition and derivation are often ambiguous. Another central issue is how to find or design metastable states. Thermal quench is commonly used based on the remnant metastability principle, while it frequently fails, and we see the supercooled state unstable.
Why can’t we answer such simple questions? One reason may be the segregation of the field, preventing a common understanding from being formed and shared. Bringing together researchers from multiple disciplines to discuss metastability will lead to the formation of a new research field.

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