Condensed Matter Theory Seminar | January 25, 09:15

Phase transitions in non-equilibrium quantum matter


Much insight has come from the idea that non-equilibrium systems can exhibit phenomena not found in thermal equilibrium. Understanding these non-equilibrium phases and the transitions between them is a major research frontier of modern many-body physics. In my talk I will outline two examples of novel physics found in non-equilibrium quantum systems. The first, discrete time crystals (DTCs), are a prototypical example of a non-equilibrium phase of matter, defined by the fact that they spontaneously break time-translation symmetry. I will describe the results of an experiment involving the observation of a DTC in a doped semiconductor platform, where both interactions and dissipation play a significant role in stabilizing the DTC order. Next I will discuss measurement-induced transitions, which are a new class of phase transition in open quantum systems. I will focus on two aspects of these transitions: the effect of the underlying unitary dynamics on the nature of the phase transition, and the role of dimensionality in determining the universal properties at criticality.


Oliver Lunt, University College London
Zoom ( URL https://uni-koeln.zoom.us/j/92374710227 )
Contact: not specified