Video Library

Maki Takahashi

Quantum error correcting codes and topological quantum order (TQO) are inter-connected fields that study non-local correlations in highly entangled many-body quantum states. In this talk I will argue that each of these fields offers valuable techniques for solving problems posed in the other one. First, we will discuss the zero-temperature stability of TQO and derive simple conditions that guarantee stability of the spectral gap and the ground state degeneracy under generic local perturbations. These conditions thus can be regarded as a rigorous definition of TQO.

Basic epistemological considerations suggest that the laws of nature should be scale invariant and no fundamental length scale should exist in nature. Indeed, the standard model action contains only two terms that break scale invariance: the Einstein-Hilbert term and the Higgs mass term.

Tamara Davis
The last decade of astrophysics has shown more than ever before that cosmology can teach us about the nuts-and-bolts of basic physics. This has been driven by the discovery of the accelerating universe (dark energy) --- the theories being proposed to explain dark energy often invoke new physics such as brane-worlds arising from fledgling models of quantum-gravity. It has become evident that the large timescales and spatial-scales probed by cosmology allow us to learn about fundamental physics in a way inaccessible to any earth-bound experiment.