3:30–4:30 pm Zoom
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A new world of topology in driven quantum systems
Michael Levin, University of Chicago
The first example of a so-called ``topological’’ phase of matter appeared in 1980 with Klaus von Klitzing’s discovery of integer quantum Hall liquids. Since then, many other topological phases have been discovered, including topological insulators, fractional quantum Hall liquids, and numerous other examples. Topological phases are usually studied in the context of thermal equilibrium, and there has been tremendous progress in understanding and unifying different kinds of equilibrium topological phases. However, recently it has become clear that there is a whole new world of topological phases beyond equilibrium. In particular, we now know that periodically driven systems can realize novel topological phases which have no analogs in equilibrium systems. I will discuss some recent progress in understanding and classifying these new, periodically driven topological phases of matter, as well as some of the puzzles that remain.