New dynamical transitions: in Majorana fermions and in job applications

In this talk I will unapologetically discuss two entirely different topics. Sorry.
In the first part, I will talk about a model of random dynamics in systems with topological degrees of freedom. Usually, coupling a many-body quantum system to a thermal environment destroys the quantum coherence of its state, leading to effectively classical dynamics at the longest time scales. I will discuss a system that avoids this classical fate because some of the information in its quantum state is topologically protected. I will show how a system of Majorana fermions coupled to a thermal bath and relaxing toward its ground state exhibits a new universality class of dynamics that can be described by an exact mapping.
In the second part, I will discuss the effect of "prestige bias" in job applications using a simple stat mech model.  Using the language of Bayesian inference across iterated rounds of evaluation, I will show how there can be a first-order transition in the degree of advantage conferred by a prestigious affiliation.

Link to zoom meeting