Summer Program
Exotic Phases, Gauge Field Theories and Dynamics in Systems with Constraints
June 4–July 2, 2023
Organizers:
Hannes Bernien, University of Chicago
*Anushya Chandran, Boston University
Roderich Moessner, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems
Andriy Nevidomskyy, Rice University
Physical systems incorporating constraints on the microscopic degrees of freedom arise in several subfields of quantum and classical physics. In gauge theories, Gauss’ law can be thought of as such a constraint, and emergent gauge theories have become plentiful as low-energy theories of topological quantum matter, such as in the emergent QED of quantum spin ice or higher-rank gauge theories with the resultant `fractonic’ mobility-restricted quasiparticles resulting from dipole moment conservation. Consequences for static and dynamic observables are manifold and profound. This interdisciplinary workshop will bring together experts from quantum materials, ultracold atoms, quantum dynamics, high-energy and field-theory communities, with the goal of establishing the common canvas of theories with constrained field configurations and to identify and tackle the outstanding open questions. The workshop will cover a broad list of topics, both theoretically and experimentally motivated, including frustrated magnetism and spin liquids, quantum dimer and link models, lattice gauge theories, kinetically constrained models, Rydberg atom engineering of strongly entangled quantum systems, fracton phases of matter, and quantum dynamics in systems with constraints.
*organizer responsible for participant diversity
Summer Workshops
The summer program, running for 16 weeks from late-May to mid-September, emphasizes exciting open problems at the cutting edge. Two or three concurrent workshops, each with a specific focus selected for timeliness and the potential for breakthroughs and of two to five weeks in length, establish the main themes of each week, with twelve or thirteen different workshops each summer, balanced across fields including particle physics, string theory, astrophysics and hard and soft condensed matter physics, as well as emerging areas including biological physics, ultra-cold atom physics, quantum information, and physical mathematics. Additional researchers participate in small working groups or as individual researchers. This framework is designed to maximize informal interactions and free discussion within each area and to promote cross-fertilization between different areas via the common language of theoretical physics. Participation in the summer program of the Aspen Center for Physics is by application and subsequent invitation only. View past workshops.
