Topological order in quantum and classical physics | 21st of January 2021
Tom Lancaster, Durham University
The fractional quantum Hall (FQH) fluid has been advanced by several authors as a candidate for demonstrating strong emergence, most notably through its hosting particles with fractional electronic charges. The properties of the FHQ fluid can be traced back to topological order: a non-symmetry breaking ordering of electrons that relies on whole-system interactions. Although this exotic state of affairs might seem a quirk of quantum mechanics, this is not the case. In this talk I shall discuss the possibility of emergence in both the FQH fluid and, in an example drawn from the classical world of soft-matter physics, in a system of entangled polymer rings.
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