Physics colloquium-“Ergodicity Breaking in Quantum Dynamics”

Rahul Nandkishore

University of Colorado @ Boulder

Abstract: When can isolated many body quantum systems fail to go to equilibrium under their own dynamics, and how robust can this `ergodicity breaking’ be? This question has been a central theme of research in quantum dynamics over the past decade, and I will share with you some highlights, focusing on three key developments: many body localization, dynamics with multipolar symmetries, and dynamics with higher form symmetries. I will present the rich and exotic phenomena that arise in these three regimes, and how they may be realized experimentally. I will then discuss some key open directions for the field.

Bio: Rahul Nandkishore is a theoretical physicist interested in a broad range of problems, from non-equilibrium quantum dynamics, to exotic phases of matter, to effects arising from interplay of interactions and disorder in both solid state and synthetic quantum systems. He received his PhD in 2012 from MIT, then spent three years at the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science as a postdoctoral fellow, before moving to a faculty position at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he has been ever since. He is Associate Professor of Physics at Boulder, and Director of the Boulder Center for Theory of Quantum Matter.  He is known for his work on graphene and Dirac semimetals, on many body localization, on fracton phases of matter, and on constrained quantum dynamics. His research has been recognized by numerous awards including Young Investigator awards from the U.S. Department of Defense, a Sloan Research Fellowship, and a Simons Fellowship in Theoretical Physics.

Pre-seminar snacks will be served in CoorsTek 150 from 3:30-4:00pm; lecture will take place in CTLM102.