Topic: Monopoles, duality, and QED3
Speaker: Assist. Prof. Shai Chester
Coordinates: PCFT C1124, 16:00, Thursday, August 14
Abstract: We consider quantum electrodynamics in 2+1 dimensions (QED3) with N matter fields and Chern-Simons level k. For small values of k and N, this theory describes various experimentally relevant systems in condensed matter, and is also conjectured to be part of a web of non-supersymmetric dualities. We compute the scaling dimensions of monopole operators in a large N and k expansion, which appears to be extremely accurate even down to the smallest values of N and k, and allows us to find dynamical evidence for these dualities and make predictions about the phase transitions. For instance, we combine these estimates with the conformal bootstrap to predict that the notorious Neel-VBS transition (QED3 with 2 scalars) is tricritical, which was recently confirmed by independent lattice simulations. We also combine with the bootstrap to study the theory with 3 scalars, which is the simplest example of a deconfined quantum critical point. Lastly, we propose a novel phase diagram for QED3 with 2 fermions, including duality with the O(4) Wilson-Fisher fixed point.