  We investigate the dynamics of a gas of non-interacting particle-like soliton
waves, demonstrating that phase transitions originate from their collective
behavior. This is predicted by solving exactly the nonlinear equations and by
employing methods of the statistical mechanics of chaos. In particular, we show
that a suitable free energy undergoes a metamorphosis as the input excitation
is increased, thereby developing a first order phase transition whose
measurable manifestation is the formation of shock waves. This demonstrates
that even the simplest phase-space dynamics, involving independent (uncoupled)
degrees of freedom, can sustain critical phenomena.
