2018 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Interdisciplinary study of gravity and curvature effect in strongly coupled systems
| Project/Area Number |
17F17763
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| Research Institution | Keio University |
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Principal Investigator |
フラキ アントニノ 慶應義塾大学, 商学部(日吉), 准教授 (20444474)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
VITAGLIANO VINCENZO 慶應義塾大学, 商学部, 外国人特別研究員
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| Project Period (FY) |
2017-11-10 – 2020-03-31
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| Keywords | symmetry breaking / geometry / topology / interacting fields / curved space / topological defects |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Transitions between broken symmetry and restored symmetry phases are generally triggered by changes in the external conditions, as it happens for example with external magnetic fields, gravity, or temperature. In a series of papers, we have unveiled how geometrical effects enter this picture and challenge the vacuum stability of a theory with four fermion interactions. In particular, we have showed that, for topological defects, the competing action of the locally induced curvature and boundary conditions generated by the non-trivial topology allows configurations where symmetries can be spontaneously broken close to the core of the defect. We further analyzed how a nonzero temperature contributes to temperature-dependent modulation of mass generation in the framework of the “kirigami effect”. Inspired by the effect of geometrical deformations on 2D lattices, we also proposed a novel mechanism to induce a superconducting phase by triggering condensation along cosmic strings. This research is also of paramount importance as a potential path towards inducing a mass-gap in graphene.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The project is currently continuing in multiple directions. We are at present working on the analysis of the Casimir effect in the presence of field nonlinearities and its relation with dimensionality, and henceforth with the Mermin-Wagner theorem. In this regard, we also recently started the study of a generalization of the Mermin-Wagner theorem to (thermal) field theories embedded in curved backgrounds.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Future works are intended to improve and further extend the application of technics and results of quantum field theory in curved spaces to engineered curved quantum materials. More specifically, we are planning to use a well-known characterization of crystal defects in terms of non-Riemannian quantities (e.g. torsion) and obtain a straightforward inclusion of their effects in the continuum (Lagrangian) description of these systems.
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[Journal Article] Black holes, gravitational waves and fundamental physics: a roadmap2019
Author(s)
Vincenzo Vitagliano, Leor Barack, Vitor Cardoso, Samaya Nissanke, Diego Blas, Masha Chernyakova, Piotr Chrusciel, Monica Colpi, Valeria Ferrari, Daniele Gaggero, Jonathan Gair, Juan Garcia-Bellido, S. F. Hassan, Lavinia Heisenberg, Martin Hendry, Ik Siong Heng, Carlos Herdeiro, Tanja Hinderer, Assaf Horesh, et al.
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Journal Title
Classical and Quantum Gravity
Volume: 36
Pages: 1-178
DOI
Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
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