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Bootstrapping Conformal Field Theories
Special Events| Speaker: | David Simmons-Duffin, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton |
| Location: | 432 Physics |
| Start time: | Thu, Jan 29 2015, 1:10PM |
Conformal Field Theory (CFT) describes the long distance limit of numerous systems in particle and condensed matter physics. Often, the dynamics in this limit is strongly-coupled, making it hard to calculate observables precisely. However, in the last few years, a new technique for exploring CFTs has emerged based on the idea of the Conformal Bootstrap. I will explain how the Bootstrap lets us calculate critical exponents in the 3d Ising Model to world-record precision, how it explains similarities between magnets and boiling water, and how it can be applied to questions across theoretical physics.