Physics

Physics Group Meeting

October 30, 2013 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm

We use the "lens space index", i.e., the partition function on S^3/Z_r x S^1, to study certain properties of four dimensional gauge theories related to the global structure of the gauge group. We show that the lens space index, unlike the ordinary...

High Energy Theory Seminar

October 29, 2013 | 2:30pm - 4:00pm

This paper addresses a long standing problem - to identify the chiral ring and moduli space on the Coulomb branch of an N = 4 superconformal field theory in 2+1 dimensions. Previous techniques involved a computation of the metric on the moduli space...

High Energy Theory Seminar

October 28, 2013 | 2:30pm - 4:00pm

We show how a diffeomorphism invariance of the quantum Hall systems, together with topological consideration, put strong constraints on the physics that goes beyond the Chern-Simons action. We show how the Hall conductivity at finite wavenumbers is...

High Energy Theory Seminar

October 21, 2013 | 2:30pm - 4:00pm

The axion is a well-motivated dark matter candidate, but is challenging to search for. We propose a new way to search for QCD axion and axion-like-particle (ALP) dark matter. Nuclei that are interacting with the background axion dark matter acquire...

Informal Phenomenology Seminar

October 09, 2013 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking is a very universal concept applicable for a wide range of subjects: crystal, superfluid, neutron stars, Higgs boson, magnets, and many others. Yet there is a variety in the spectrum of gapless excitations even when...

High Energy Theory Seminar

October 07, 2013 | 2:30pm - 4:00pm

In planar N=4 Super-Yang-Mills theory there is a map between gluons scattering amplitudes and null polygonal Wilson loops. This remarkable duality allows one to make an important step forward by Operator-Product-Expanding the scattering amplitudes...