Quantum Matter Seminar - Yizhi You (Princeton University) - Fracton Critical Point and Topological Phase Transition Beyond Renormalization

Yizhi You (Princeton University) - 3/29/21 Quantum Matter seminar speaker
March 29, 2021
11:00AM - 12:00PM
Zoom webinar

Date Range
2021-03-29 11:00:00 2021-03-29 12:00:00 Quantum Matter Seminar - Yizhi You (Princeton University) - Fracton Critical Point and Topological Phase Transition Beyond Renormalization The theory of quantum phase transitions separating different phases with distinct symmetry patterns at zero temperature is one of the foundations of modern quantum many-body physics. In this talk, I will demonstrate that the existence of a 2D topological phase transition between a higher-order topological insulator (HOTI) and a trivial Mott insulator with the same symmetry eludes this paradigm. A significant new element of our phase transition theory is that the infrared (IR) effective theory is controlled by short wave-length fluctuations so the critical phenomenon is beyond the renormalization perspective.       Zoom webinar America/New_York public

The theory of quantum phase transitions separating different phases with distinct symmetry patterns at zero temperature is one of the foundations of modern quantum many-body physics. In this talk, I will demonstrate that the existence of a 2D topological phase transition between a higher-order topological insulator (HOTI) and a trivial Mott insulator with the same symmetry eludes this paradigm. A significant new element of our phase transition theory is that the infrared (IR) effective theory is controlled by short wave-length fluctuations so the critical phenomenon is beyond the renormalization perspective.