Lecturer: Dr. Zohar Ringel
Affiliation: Department of Physics, The University of Oxford
Abstract:
Topological phases of matter are distinct from
conventional ones by their lack of an order
parameter. Still in the quantum Hall effect, a
hidden order parameter exists and constitutes
the basis for the celebrated composite-particle
approach. Whether similar hidden orders exist
in symmetry protected topological phases
(SPTs) is a largely open question, especially in
2D and 3D. In this talk I will introduce a new
approach to analyzing SPT groundstates, based
on generalized Laughlin wavefunctions. Using it
one obtains a simple picture of some classes of
SPTs in 1D and 2D, in which hidden order is
rather explicit. Future directions, in the lines of
generalizing the composite-particle approach
to SPTs, will be discussed briefly.