Emergent Gauge Fields and Topology in Quantum Matter

Zoom Meeting ID:  939 0317 8346, Password: 326163

For decades, condensed matter systems have been studied within the framework of classical order parameters - i.e. the Landau-Wilson paradigm.  This has been recently extended with the rather complete understanding of topological states of noninteracting electrons. In this talk  I will focus instead on new physics that arises from the interplay of topology and strong interactions. A unifying theme will be the emergence of gauge fields rather than the classical order parameters of Landau theory. I will illustrate these general themes with two recent works. The first  proposes a route to realizing  a long sought after phase - the Z2 quantum spin  liquid - in a synthetic platform, an array of  highly excited (Rydberg) atoms [1]. A potential application to the engineering of naturally fault tolerant quantum bits will also be described. The second example describes a topological route to strong coupling superconductivity [2], which was inspired by  recent experimental observations in magic angle  bilayer graphene and related devices.

[1] arXiv:2011.12310. Prediction of Toric Code Topological Order from Rydberg Blockade.
Authors: R. Verresen, M. Lukin and A. Vishwanath.
[2]arXiv:2004.00638. Charged Skyrmions and Topological Origin of Superconductivity in Magic Angle Graphene.