Chiral critical matter

by Leo Radzihovsky (University of Colorado)

Thursday 28 Sept 2023, 15:00 → 17:00 Europe/Stockholm

Liquid crystals are fascinating materials -- quintessential condensed matter exhibiting an array of complex phases of fundamental scientific interest and at the heart of liquid crystal display revolution. I will take the audience on a bit of a rollercoaster ride, pedagogically discussing a recently discovered exotic liquid crystal state, the "heliconical nematic", that exhibits a long sought-after spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking. I will also explain how low-energy physics of some states of matter can be understood as an emergent Higgs mechanism, with critical fluctuations extending throughout the low-temperature "critical phase”.