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It is known that the classical O(N) model in dimension d > 3 at its bulk critical point admits three boundary universality classes: the ordinary, the extra-ordinary and the special. The extraordinary fixed point corresponds to the bulk transition occurring in the presence of an ordered boundary, while the special fixed point corresponds to a boundary phase transition between the ordinary and the extra-ordinary classes. While the ordinary fixed point survives in d = 3, it is less clear what happens to the extra-ordinary and special fixed points when d = 3 and N is greater or equal to 2. I’ll show that formally treating N as a continuous parameter, there exists a critical value Nc > 2 separating two distinct regimes. For N < Nc the extra-ordinary fixed point survives in d = 3, albeit in a modified form: the long-range boundary order is lost, instead, the order parameter correlation function decays as a power of log r. For N > Nc there is no fixed point with order parameter correlations decaying slower than power law. I’ll discuss how these findings compare to recent Monte-Carlo studies of classical and quantum spin models with SO(3) symmetry. Based on arXiv:2009.05119.

Zoom: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/977347126

The Airy_2 process is a universal distribution which describes fluctuations in models in the Kardar–Parisi–Zhang (KPZ) universality class, such as the asymmetric simple exclusion process (ASEP) and the Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (GUE). Despite its ubiquity, there are no proven results for analogous fluctuations of multi–species models. Here, we will discuss one model in the KPZ universality class, the $q$–Boson. We will show that the joint multi–point fluctuations of the single–species $q$–Boson match the single–point fluctuations of the multi–species $q$–Boson. Therefore the single–point fluctuations of multi–species models in the KPZ class ought to be the Airy_2 process. The proof utilizes the underlying algebraic structure of the multi–species $q$–Boson, namely the quantum group symmetry and Coxeter group actions.

Zoom: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/98248914765?pwd=Q01tRTVWTVBGT0lXek40VzdxdVVPQT09

(Password: 419419)

Non-Abelian phases of matter have long inspired quantum physicists across various disciplines. The strongest experimental evidence of such a phase arises in quantum Hall systems at the filling factor 5/2 but conflicts with decades of numerical works. We will briefly introduce the 5/2 plateau and explain some of the key obstacles to identifying its topological order. We will then describe recent experimental and theoretical progress, including a proposal for resolving the 5/2 enigma based on electrical conductance measurements.

Zoom: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/977347126