Talks

Parafermions are the simplest generalizations of Majorana fermions that realize topological order. We propose a less restrictive notion of topological order in 1D open chains, which generalizes the seminal work by Fendley [J. Stat. Mech., P11020 (2012)]. The first essential property is that the groundstates are mutually indistinguishable by local, symmetric probes, and the second is a generalized notion of zero edge modes which cyclically permute the groundstates. These two properties are shown to be topologically robust, and applicable to a wider family of topologically-ordered Hamiltonians than has been previously considered. As an application of these edge modes, we formulate a new notion of twisted boundary conditions on a closed chain, which guarantees that the closed-chain groundstate is topological, i.e., it originates from the topological manifold of the open chain. Finally, we generalize these ideas to describe symmetry-breaking phases with a parafermionic order parameter.

These exotic phases are condensates of parafermion multiplets, which generalizes Cooper pairing in superconductors. The stability of these condensates are investigated on both open and closed chains.

In relativistic quantum information (RQI) we study quantum information in relativistic systems to obtain more insights to both quantum and gravitational physics on the one hand, and to find new ideas for quantum information processing on the other. One of the  popular models in RQI is the Unruh-DeWitt (UD) detector theory, in which localized objects, called detectors, are coupled to and moving in relativistc quantum fields. In this mini-course I will discuss the UD detector theory in detail, mainly on the nonperturbative methods and their applications to RQI.

In this talk I’ll discuss some of the recent developments in precision physics which will be useful for extracting the best physics results we can from LHC run II. I’ll mostly focus on a specific example regarding anomalous interactions of the Higgs boson.

Massive neutral fermions can be realized in Nature as Majorana particles. Are neutrinos Majorana particles? Our most accepted theoretical prejudice can be verified by searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay. I will overview the current knowledge of the neutrino mass spectrum and discuss theoretical scenarios where cosmological data can contribute to resolve this challenging question. Some cosmological observables sensitive to neutrino masses are outlined.

In relativistic quantum information (RQI) we study quantum information in relativistic systems to obtain more insights to both quantum and gravitational physics on the one hand, and to find new ideas for quantum information processing on the other. One of the  popular models in RQI is the Unruh-DeWitt (UD) detector theory, in which localized objects, called detectors, are coupled to and moving in relativistc quantum fields. In this mini-course I will discuss the UD detector theory in detail, mainly on the nonperturbative methods and their applications to RQI.