Phases of matter and spontaneous spacetime symmetry breaking
by
Prof.Alberto Nicolis(Columbia University)
→
Europe/Berlin
Description
All phases of matter break some spacetime symmetries, at the very least Lorentz (or Galilei) relativity. Thanks to the Goldstone theorem and related properties of systems with spontaneously broken symmetries, this simple observation can be leveraged to construct effective field theories for the gapless excitations of various phases of matter. I will present a number of examples and discuss the conceptual and technical advantages of such an approach. If time permits, I will discuss a cosmological model where primordial inflation is driven by a solid.
