Colloquium
Topology in quantum condensed matter and the quantum Hall effect
Abstract
We are delighted to welcome F. Duncan Haldane, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, for a very special seminar.
The study of “topological states” in quantum condensed matter has been very active in recent years. Though it was initially discovered over 45 years ago, the quantum Hall effect continues to reveal new surprises and is at the heart of quantum topology, expecially in its “fractional” presentation.
*After the colloquium, a science coffee will be served in the cafeteria.
About the talk
Princeton
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About the speaker
F. Duncan Haldane is a British theoretical physicist renowned for his fundamental contributions to condensed matter physics, especially in the study of quantum many-body systems and topological phases of matter. He began his career in Europe, working at the Institut Laue–Langevin before moving to the United States, where he held academic positions at the University of Southern California and the University of California San Diego. Since 1990, he has been a professor at Princeton University, where he holds distinguished titles including the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics.
Haldane is widely recognized for groundbreaking theories such as Luttinger liquids, one-dimensional spin chains, and key advances in understanding the fractional quantum Hall effect. His work has profoundly shaped modern quantum physics, introducing new ways to describe complex quantum states, including geometric approaches to quantum phenomena.
In 2016, Haldane was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics alongside David J. Thouless and J. Michael Kosterlitz for their theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter. Their work applied concepts from topology—a branch of mathematics that studies properties that change only in discrete steps—to explain unexpected physical phenomena.
Throughout his career, Haldane has received numerous honors, including election to the Royal Society and the National Academy of Sciences, reflecting his lasting impact on theoretical physics.