Chuan-Yin Xia

Abstract Crossing a continuous phase transition in finite time induces spontaneous symmetry breaking and the formation of topological defects, such as domain walls and vortices. The AdS/CFT correspondence provides a framework for studying strongly coupled critical dynamics via a dual gravitational theory.

Abstract We introduce a gravitational lattice theory defined in an AdS3 black hole background that provides a holographic dual description of the linear-to-zigzag structural phase transition, characterized by the spontaneous breaking of parity symmetry observed in, e.g., confined Coulomb crystals. The transition from the high-symmetry linear phase to the broken-symmetry doubly degenerate zigzag phase can be driven by quenching the coupling between adjacent sites through the critical point.

Abstract Vortices are topological defects associated with superfluids and superconductors, which, when mobile, dissipate energy destroying the dissipationless nature of the superfluid. The nature of this “quantum dissipation” is rooted in the quantum physical nature of the problem, which has been the subject of an extensive literature. However, this has mostly been focused on the measures applicable in weakly interacting systems wherein they are tractable via conventional methods.