Sunday
01 03 2020
Utrecht
DELTA ITP
ADVANCED TOPICS IN THEORETICAL PHYSICS
DELTA ITP Event

Emergent Field Theories (spring 2020)

This Spring's Delta ITP Course Advanced Topics in Theoretical Physics aimed at advanced Master’s students, PhD and postdoctoral researchers, is built around the general theme of Emergent Field Theories.
Lectures will take place on Monday's at 11:15-13:00, followed by a study/exercise session 13:45- end.
The location of this semester's course rotates between the three institutes. The course will be divided into three 5-week modules; for each one there are four lectures (2hrs each) and four exercise sessions (4hrs each). At the end of the module there is an exam. All exams will be graded with a pass or fail. You need to pass all three exams to receive credit for the course.
Please fill in the registration form before the course begins, even if you do not plan to take the course for credit.
We cannot process your grade or send important notices if you do not register ahead of time.
Travel Cost Reimbursement:
Students who do not have an OV-card from the Dutch government can have their travel costs reimbursed from Delta ITP.
Please contact your local organizer (below) for details.

  • Module 1:

    Erik Verlinde (UvA)
    The Role of Entanglement Entropy in Quantum Field Theory and Gravity
    Lectures: Feb 3, 10, 17, 24. Room G2.02, UvA Science Park 904 Amsterdam
    Exam: Mar 2. Room G2.02, UvA Science Park 904, Amsterdam

    In these lectures I will review the insights that have been developed over the past decade or two about the role of entanglement entropy, and its various generalisations, in quantum field theory and gravity. On the field theory side I will discuss the definition of entanglement entropy, Renyi entropy and its computation using the replica method, mutual information, entropy inequalities, relative entropy, the first (and 2nd) law of entanglement, and the quantum null energy condition. Then on the gravity side I will, after a quick review black hole thermodynamics, discuss the Ryu-Takanayagi formula and its derivation using the gravitational replica method. I will also describe the generalisation for dynamical backgrounds, known as the HRT formula. I will not assume detailed knowledge about AdS/CFT, and will provide the necessary background information to be able to understand these notions by relating them to field theory. The last part of the lectures will deal with the role of quantum entanglement in the black hole information paradox. Depending on the interest, I will finally the most recent development related to quantum extremal surfaces and entanglement wedge reconstruction.

  • Module 2:

    Koenraad Schalm (Leiden)
    The AdS/CFT Correspondence and Applications
    Lectures: Mar 9, 16, 23, 30
    Exam: Apr 6

    All morning lectures will take place from 11:15 on in Gorlaeus DM119. This is the NEW Gorlaeus building: to get there, enter the building at no 1. Go up one floor, and follow the red wiggly line on the figure
    All afternoon sessions start at 14:15, in Huygens Laboratory HL 207
    The exam on April 6 will take place in HL106.

    The anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field theory correspondence provides a unique novel perspective on critical phenomena at second order quantum phase transitions in systems with spatial dimensions d>1. The first half of these lectures will provide technical background to apply the so called “holographic” techniques of the correspondence. The second half discusses the application to quantum phase transitions in condensed matter: how spontaneous symmetry breaking in a quantum critical system is similar and different to the standard case, the notion of semi-local quantum liquids and their connection to non-Fermi liquids and strange metals.

    These lectures will be based on selections from:

    • J. Zaanen, Y.Liu, Y-W.Sun, K. Schalm, Holographic duality in condensed matter physics, Cambridge University Press.

    Additional references are:

    • J. Erdmenger, Introduction to gauge gravity duality, Chapters 1,2,4,5,6.
    • S.A. Hartnoll, Lectures on holographic methods for condensed matter physics, Class. Quant. Grav. 26, 224002 (2009).
    • N. Iqbal, H. Liu and M. Mezei, Lectures on holographic non-Fermi liquids and quantum phase transitions
  • Module 3:

    Hans Hansson (UU)
    Topology in Field Theory
    Lectures: Apr 20, May 11, 18, 25
    Exam: June 8
    NB No lectures on Apr 13 (Easter), Apr 27 (King’s day), May 4 (Remembrance Day), Jun 1 (Pentecost)

  • Contact:

    Dr. Lars Fritz
    Institute for Theoretical Physics
    Utrecht University
    Princetonplein 5
    3584 CC Utrecht
    tel: +31 30 253 3880
    e-mail: l.fritz@uu.nl

    Prof. Koenraad Schalm
    Instituut-Lorentz for Theoretical Physics
    Leiden University
    Niels Bohrweg 2
    2335 CA Leiden
    email: kschalm@lorentz.leidenuniv.nl

    Dr. Wouter Waalewijn
    Institute for Theoretical Physics
    University of Amsterdam
    Science Park 904
    1098 XH Amsterdam
    tel: +31 (0)20 525 3204
    e-mail: w.j.waalewijn@uva.nl

    Administrative matters:
    Mariëlle Hilkens
    Institute for Theoretical Physics
    Utrecht University
    Princetonplein 5
    3584 CC Utrecht
    tel: +31 30 253 5906
    e-mail: m.e.t.hilkens@uu.nl

  • Participants:

    List of participants