3:30–4:30 pm Maria Goeppert-Mayer Lecture Hall
Duality and Symmetry in Quantum Physics
Clay Córdova, University of Chicago
Duality is a surprising phenomenon in quantum physics where two seemingly different systems are actually equivalent—they describe the same physical reality in different ways. Often these dual descriptions are complementary, each shedding light on a different aspect of the dynamics. Famous examples include Kramers-Wannier duality in the Ising model, and electric-magnetic duality in gauge theory. Over the past few years, a new viewpoint on these dualities was uncovered, linking them with novel symmetry principles in quantum physics. These special symmetries have remarkable algebraic properties and have opened up a new paradigm for understanding strongly coupled phases. We will explain these remarkable symmetry principles and highlight their diverse applications in both particle physics and condensed matter.