SEMINAR 2022
Fractons: exotic new phases of matter
| Speaker | Dr Daniel Bulmash, University of Maryland, College Park |
| Host | Lee Ching Hua |
| Date | Thu, 7 Apr @ 4.00pm |
| Zoom registration link | https://nus-sg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4NKIAgctRUSg5FUUpOjMLQ |
Abstract
Fracton phases are extremely unusual quantum phases of matter whose existence has only been recognized within the last decade or so. They host quasiparticles that, unlike electrons in metals, cannot move in all directions of space unless they move in concert with other quasiparticles which may be very far away. This movement restriction does not occur simply for energetic reasons; instead, it arises from more fundamental restrictions like exotic conservation laws or the structure of operators in the Hilbert space. I will give an overview of these bizarre and exciting phases of matter and discuss the ways in which they deeply challenge our understanding of field theory, gauge theory, and what a phase of matter even is.
Biography
Dr. Daniel Bulmash is a postdoc in theoretical condensed matter physics at the University of Maryland, College Park. He received his bachelor’s in physics and mathematics from MIT in 2012, and his Ph.D. in physics in 2017 from Stanford University under the supervision of Prof. Xiao-Liang Qi. His research interests are in proposing, classifying, and probing novel phases of matter, with particular expertise in topological phases. The highlights of his research include constructing very general theories describing anomalies in (2+1)D topological orders, connecting fracton phases to better-understood systems like gauge theories and topological orders, and finding new descriptions, material realizations, and experimental probes of Weyl semimetals.