Math Phys seminar

Fyrirlesari: Daniel Fernández Moreno, Háskóli Íslands

Titill: The philosophy of emergent spacetime

Staðsetning: HB5 (Háskólabíó)

Tími: Föstudag 18.oktúber kl. 11:40

Ágrip:
One of the most startling observations in recent theoretical physics is that certain phenomena are better described as resulting from a higher dimensional spacetime. The gauge-gravity correspondence projects them into a surface infinitely far away. The existence of such a duality between two fully consistent physical theories reduces the number of spacetime dimensions to a mere choice, one that can be more or less useful depending on the physics we want to describe.
This observation brought forth the idea that Spacetime should be understood as an emergent property from quantum field theory. This is usually presented in abstract grounds, disconnected from its consequences on our theoretical perspective of fundamental physics. Consequences which challenge the basic intuitions from classical physics that are otherwise vastly useful in most situations. For this reason, as opposed to most seminars in the topic, this talk will ignore the structure of the reasoning and the mathematical rigor. Instead, I will present to you the topic of emergent Spacetime focused on gaining an intuitive feeling about the connection of such a seemingly abstract concept with the real world.

Math colloquium

Fyrirlesari: Danny Brattan, University of Genoa

Titill: Hydrodynamical charge density wave description for transport in the strange metal phase of cuprates

Staðsetning: Naustið-Endurmenntun
Tími: Miðvikudag 9.oktúber kl. 11:00

Ágrip:
The mechanism controlling the exotic behavior of the transport properties in the strange metallic phase of high temperature superconductors is one of the main unresolved problems in condensed matter physics. I will discuss our recent paper (1909.07991) where we develop a framework for describing the hydrodynamics of charge density wave (CDW) order in a magnetic field (extending earlier theoretical developments) and where we determine the DC transport coefficients within this formalism. In this work we performed a complete characterization of the DC transport coefficients (including less common ones like transverse thermal conductivity and Nernst effect) of a single crystal of Bi-2201 close to optimal doping and we found complete self-consistent agreement of this data with the CDW model. This suggests CDW order may be sufficient to explain the unusual properties of the strange metal phase of the cuprates.

Math phys colloquium

Fyrirlesari: Emil Have, University of Edinburgh

Titill: Newton-Cartan Submanifolds and Biophysical (Fluid) Membranes

Staðsetning:  L-201 Lögberg
Tími: Þriðjudag 8.oktúber kl. 11:00

Ágrip:

Originally developed to provide a geometric foundation for Newtonian gravity, Newton-Cartan geometry and its torsionful generalization have recently experienced a revival of interest, particularly in the contexts of non-AdS holography and various condensed matter problems — notably the quantum Hall effect. In this talk, I will describe a general theory of Newton-Cartan submanifolds. A covariant description of non-relativistic fluids on surfaces is an important open problem with a wide range of applications in for example biophysics. Recasting ‘elastic’ models, such as the Canham-Helfrich bending energy, in a Newton-Cartan setting allows for a covariant notion of non-relativistic time and provides the ideal starting point for a treatment of Galilean fluids on extremal submanifolds using the technology of hydrostatic partition functions.

Math Phys seminar

Fyrirlesari: Jesús Zavala Franco, Háskóli Íslands og Javier Israel Reynoso Córdoba, Universidad de Guanajuato

Titill: The Boltzmann equation for a rarefied fluid in linear perturbation theory

Staðsetning: HB5 (Háskólabíó)
Tími: Föstudag 4.oktúber kl. 11:40

Ágrip:

Linear perturbation theory is the basis upon which we understand the initial growth of density perturbations in the early Universe. This theory has been developed and studied extensively in two extreme regimes: i) the fluid regime and ii) the collisionless regime. The former is applicable to the photon-baryon plasma, while the latter is commonly used to describe dark matter. There is however, a relevant class of dark matter models, known generically as self-interacting dark matter, where the Knudsen number is around 1, which lies in between these regimes. Linear perturbation theory in this regime remains essentially unexplored, requiring a full treatment of the Collisional Boltzmann equation. In this talk, we will present an overview of the problem and present our preliminary progress towards describing this regime.

Math Phys seminar

Fyrirlesari: Hólmfríður Sigríðar Hannesdóttir , Harvard University

Titill: Infrared Finite S-matrix elements and Cross Sections

Staðsetning: A-050
Tími: Þriðjudag 27.ágúst kl. 14:00

Ágrip:

Quantum field theory (QFT) works remarkably well for making theoretical predictions in collider scattering experiments. One of the fundamental objects in these calculations, the scattering matrix (S-matrix), is inspired by a well defined operator in non-relativistic quantum mechanics, but is plagued with both ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) divergences in QFT. The UV divergences are now understood through the program of renormalization, but IR divergences remain an active area of research. Three approaches have been explored to define IR finite quantities, which will all be discussed in this talk: i) The cross section method, ii) modification of the S-matrix, and iii) the dressed state formalism. The minimal set of processes required for a finite cross section will be examined, along with the need for forward scattering and disconnected diagrams. We will furthermore explore how the usual assumptions about evolution of the scattering states at asymptotic times are broken in a theory with massless particles, and how the universality of the interactions leading to IR divergences in such theories can be exploited to define finite S-matrix elements.

PhD midway evaluation

Fyrirlesari: Juan Fernando Angel Ramelli, HÍ

Titill: Entanglement entropy of the quantum Lifshitz model

Staðsetning: A-050
Tími: Þriðjudag 27.ágúst kl. 09:00

Ágrip:

The quantum Lifshitz model (QLM) is a toy model used for studying scale invariant systems in which time and space scale on different footing. This type of behavior occurs, for example, in the context of critical phenomena. Entanglement entropy is a purely quantum measure of correlation between subsystems. It is a useful theoretical probe, as it encodes certain universal properties of critical models. I review the QLM as well as its generalization to higher dimensions, and show how to construct its excited states on compact manifolds. Through careful application of the replica method, I demonstrate that analytic results can be obtained for the entanglement entropy of both its ground state and its excited states.

Math Phys seminar

Fyrirlesari: Mohab Abou Zeid, Imperial College London

Titill: T-duality in (2,1) superspace and SKT geometry

Staðsetning: VR-II, V-156
Tími: Föstudag 23.ágúst kl. 14:00

Ágrip:

I will explain our recent derivation of the T-duality transformation rules for two-dimensional (2,1) supersymmetric sigma-models in (2,1) superspace. To this end I will first review the gauging of sigma-models in (2,1) superspace and present a new manifestly real and geometric expression for the gauged action. I will  also discuss the obstructions to gauging (2,1) sigma-models and show that the obstructions to (2,1) T-duality are considerably weaker than the obstructions to gauging. Our complexified T-duality transformations are equivalent to the usual Buscher duality transformations (including an important refinement) together with diffeomorphisms. Time permitting, I will mention some possible applications of our results.

Math Phys seminar

Fyrirlesari: Ro Jefferson, Albert Einstein Institute Potsdam

Titill: Black hole interiors and modular inclusions

Staðsetning: VR-II, V-156
Tími: Fimmtudag 22.ágúst kl. 14:00

Ágrip:

We show how the traversable wormhole induced by a double-trace deformation of the thermofield double state can be understood as a modular inclusion of the algebras of exterior operators. The effect of this deformation is the creation of a new region of spacetime deep in the bulk, corresponding to a non-trivial center between the left and right algebras. This set-up provides a precise framework for investigating how black hole interiors are encoded in the CFT. In particular, we use modular theory to demonstrate that state dependence is an inevitable feature of any attempt to represent operators behind the horizon. Building on this geometrical structure, we propose that modular inclusions may provide a more precise means of investigating the nascent relationship between entanglement and geometry in the context of the emergent spacetime paradigm.

Math Phys seminar

Fyrirlesari: Jorge Laraña Aragon,University of Stockholm

Titill: Quenched coupling, effective thermalization and evanescence in the free $O(N)$ vector model

Staðsetning: VR-II, V-156
Tími: Fimmtudag 15.ágúst kl. 14:00

Ágrip:

In this project we study two coupled free $O(N)$ vector models implementing the coupling via a quench of mixing. Since the theory is integrable pure thermalization does not occur but the quantum modes thermalize independently. Generalized thermal behavior is obtained at late times in the limit of weak initial mixing. We investigate this from both the effective density matrix and the spectral density function. When computing the latter, we observe that late-time correlation functions of composite operators in the post-quench free QFT surprisingly share interesting properties with correlators in strongly coupled systems. We discuss a possible holographic interpretation in terms of the so called evanescent modes.

Math Phys seminar

Fyrirlesari: Christiana Pantelidou, Durham University

Titill: Incoherent hydrodynamics and density waves

Staðsetning: VR-II, V-258
Tími: mánudagur 24. júní kl. 14.00

Ágrip:

I will consider thermal phases of holographic lattices at finite chemical potential in which a continuous internal bulk symmetry can be spontaneously broken. In the normal phase, translational symmetry is explicitly broken by the lattice and the long wavelength excitations are captured by incoherent hydrodynamics describing two perturbative diffusive modes. In the broken phase an additional diffusive hydrodynamic degree of freedom appears. In this talk I will use holography to write an effective theory describing the coupling of incoherent hydrodynamics to this goldstone mode.