The Conformal Bootstrap: From Magnets to Boiling Water – David Simmons-Duffin
Date: Thu. October 1st, 2015, 4:15 pm-5:15 pmLocation: Rockefeller 301
Conformal Field Theory (CFT) describes the long-distance dynamics of numerous quantum and statistical many-body systems. The long-distance limit of a many-body system is often so complicated that it is hard to do precise calculations. However, powerful new techniques for understanding CFTs have emerged in the last few years, 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 striking relations between magnets and boiling water, and how it can be applied to questions across theoretical physics.