Boundary degeneracy of topological order
We introduce the concept of boundary degeneracy of topologically ordered states on a compact orientable spatial manifold with boundaries, and emphasize that the boundary degeneracy provides richer information than the bulk degeneracy. Beyond the bulk-edge correspondence, we find the ground state degeneracy of the fully gapped edge modes depends on boundary gapping conditions. By associating different types of boundary gapping conditions as different ways of particle or quasiparticle condensations on the boundary, we develop an analytic theory of gapped boundaries. By Chern-Simons theory, this allows us to derive the ground state degeneracy formula in terms of boundary gapping conditions, which encodes more than the fusion algebra of fractionalized quasiparticles. We apply our theory to Kitaev's toric code and Levin-Wen string-net models. We predict that the $Z_2$ toric code and $Z_2$ double-semion model (more generally, the $Z_k$ gauge theory and the $U(1)_k \times U(1)_{-k}$ non-chiral fractional quantum Hall state at even integer $k$) can be numerically and experimentally distinguished, by measuring their boundary degeneracy on an annulus or a cylinder.

title: Bosonic anomalies, induced fractional quantum numbers, and degenerate zero modes: The anomalous edge physics of symmetry-protected topological states
abstract: The boundary of symmetry-protected topological states (SPTs) can harbor new quantum anomaly phenomena. In this work, we characterize the bosonic anomalies introduced by the 1+1D non-onsite-symmetric gapless edge modes of 2+1D bulk bosonic SPTs with a generic finite Abelian group symmetry (isomorphic to $G=\prod_i Z_{N_i}=Z_{N_1} \times Z_{N_2} \times Z_{N_3} \times ...$). We demonstrate that some classes of SPTs (termed "Type II") trap fractional quantum numbers (such as fractional $Z_N$ charges) at the 0D kink of the symmetry-breaking domain walls; while some classes of SPTs (termed "Type III") have degenerate zero energy modes (carrying the projective representation protected by the unbroken part of the symmetry), either near the 0D kink of a symmetry-breaking domain wall, or on a symmetry-preserving 1D system dimensionally reduced from a thin 2D tube with a monodromy defect 1D line embedded. More generally, the energy spectrum and conformal dimensions of gapless edge modes under an external gauge flux insertion (or twisted by a branch cut, i.e., a monodromy defect line) through the 1D ring can distinguish many SPT classes. We provide a manifest correspondence from the physical phenomena, the induced fractional quantum number and the zero energy mode degeneracy, to the mathematical concept of cocycles that appears in the group cohomology classification of SPTs, thus achieving a concrete physical materialization of the cocycles. The aforementioned edge properties are formulated in terms of a long wavelength continuum field theory involving scalar chiral bosons, as well as in terms of Matrix Product Operators and discrete quantum lattice models. Our lattice approach yields a regularization with anomalous non-onsite symmetry for the field theory description. We also formulate some bosonic anomalies in terms of the Goldstone-Wilczek formula.

title: Symmetry-protected topological phases with charge and spin symmetries: Response theory and dynamical gauge theory in two and three dimensions
abstract: A large class of symmetry-protected topological phases (SPT) in boson / spin systems have been recently predicted by the group cohomology theory. In this work, we consider SPT states at least with charge symmetry (U(1) or Z$_N$) or spin $S^z$ rotation symmetry (U(1) or Z$_N$) in 2D, 3D, and the surface of 3D. If both are U(1), we apply external electromagnetic field / `spin gauge field' to study the charge / spin response. For the SPT examples we consider (i.e. U$_c$(1)$\rtimes$Z$^T_2$, U$_s$(1)$\times$Z$^T_2$, U$_c$(1)$\times$[U$_s$(1)$\rtimes$Z$_2$]; subscripts $c$ and $s$ are short for charge and spin; Z$^T_2$ and Z$_2$ are time-reversal symmetry and $\pi$-rotation about $S^y$, respectively), many variants of Witten effect in the 3D SPT bulk and various versions of anomalous surface quantum Hall effect are defined and systematically investigated. If charge or spin symmetry reduces to Z$_N$ by considering charge-$N$ or spin-$N$ condensate, instead of the linear response approach, we gauge the charge/spin symmetry, leading to a dynamical gauge theory with some remaining global symmetry. The 3D dynamical gauge theory describes a symmetry-enriched topological phase (SET), i.e. a topologically ordered state with global symmetry which admits nontrivial ground state degeneracy depending on spatial manifold topology. For the SPT examples we consider, the corresponding SET states are described by dynamical topological gauge theory with topological BF term and axionic $\Theta$-term in 3D bulk. And the surface of SET is described by the chiral boson theory with quantum anomaly.

title: Bulk viscosity of a gas of massless pions
abstract: In the hadronic phase, the dominant configuration of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) with two flavors of massless quarks is a gas of massless pions. We calculate the bulk viscosity ($\ensuremath{\zeta}$) using the Boltzmann equation with the kinetic theory generalized to incorporate the trace anomaly. We find that the dimensionless ratio $\ensuremath{\zeta}/s$, $s$ being the entropy density, is monotonic increasing below $T=120$ MeV, where chiral perturbation theory is applicable. This, combined with previous results, shows that $\ensuremath{\zeta}/s$ reaches its maximum near the phase-transition temperature ${T}_{c}$, while $\ensuremath{\eta}/s$, $\ensuremath{\eta}$ being the shear viscosity, reaches its minimum near ${T}_{c}$ in QCD with massless quarks.

title: Symmetry-protected many-body Aharonov-Bohm effect
abstract: It is known as a purely quantum effect that a magnetic flux affects the real physics of a particle, such as the energy spectrum, even if the flux does not interfere with the particle's path\char22{}the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Here we examine an Aharonov-Bohm effect on a many-body wave function. Specifically, we study this many-body effect on the gapless edge states of a bulk gapped phase protected by a global symmetry (such as ${\mathbb{Z}}_{N}$)\char22{}the symmetry-protected topological (SPT) states. The many-body analog of spectral shifts, the twisted wave function, and the twisted boundary realization are identified in this SPT state. An explicit lattice construction of SPT edge states is derived, and a challenge of gauging its non-onsite symmetry is overcome. Agreement is found in the twisted spectrum between a numerical lattice calculation and a conformal field theory prediction.

title: Schrödinger Fermi liquids
abstract: A class of strongly interacting many-body fermionic systems in 2+1D non-relativistic conformal field theory is examined via the gauge-gravity duality correspondence. The 5D charged black hole with asymptotic Schrodinger isometry in the bulk gravity side introduces parameters of background density and finite particle number into the boundary field theory. We propose the holographic dictionary, and realize a quantum phase transition of this fermionic liquid with fixed particle number by tuning the background density $\beta$ at zero temperature. On the larger $\beta$ side, we find the signal of a sharp quasiparticle pole on the spectral function A(k,w), indicating a well-defined Fermi surface. On the smaller $\beta$ side, we find only a hump with no sharp peak for A(k,w), indicating the disappearance of Fermi surface. The dynamical exponent $z$ of quasiparticle dispersion goes from being Fermi-liquid-like $z\simeq1$ scaling at larger $\beta$ to a non-Fermi-liquid scaling $z\simeq 3/2$ at smaller $\beta$. By comparing the structure of Green's function with Landau Fermi liquid theory and Senthil's scaling ansatz, we further investigate the behavior of this quantum phase transition.

title: Measurement of electroweak production of two jets in association with a Z boson in proton–proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=8\,\text {TeV}$$s=8TeV
abstract: The purely electroweak (EW) cross section for the production of two jets in association with a Z boson, in proton–proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=8\,\text {TeV}$$s=8TeV, is measured using data recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7$$\,\text {fb}^\text {-1}$$fb-1. The electroweak cross section for the $$\ell \ell \mathrm {jj}$$ℓℓjj final state (with $$\ell = \mathrm {e}$$ℓ=e or $$\mu $$μ and j representing the quarks produced in the hard interaction) in the kinematic region defined by $$M_{\ell \ell } >50$$Mℓℓ>50$$\,\text {GeV}$$GeV, $$M_\mathrm {jj} >120$$Mjj>120$$\,\text {GeV}$$GeV, transverse momentum $$p_\mathrm {T j}> 25$$pTj>25$$\,\text {GeV}$$GeV, and pseudorapidity $$|\eta _\mathrm {j} |< 5$$|ηj|<5, is found to be $$\sigma _\mathrm {EW}(\ell \ell \mathrm {jj})=174 \pm 15\,\text {(stat)}\pm 40\,\text {(syst)}\text {\,fb}$$σEW(ℓℓjj)=174±15(stat)±40(syst)\,fb, in agreement with the standard model prediction. The associated jet activity of the selected events is studied, in particular in a signal-enriched region of phase space, and the measurements are found to be in agreement with QCD predictions.

title: How Close Are We To Detecting Earth-like Planets in the Habitable Zone Using the Radial Velocity Technique?
abstract: Discovering an Earth-like exoplanet in habitable zone is an important milestone for astronomers in search of extra-terrestrial life. While the radial velocity (RV) technique remains one the most powerful tools in detecting and characterizing exo-planetary sys- tems, we calculate the uncertainties in precision RV measurements considering stellar spectral quality factors, RV calibration sources, stellar noise and telluric contamination in different observational bandpasses and for different spectral types. We predict the optimal observational bandpass for different spectral types using the RV technique un- der a variety of conditions. We compare the RV signal of an Earth-like planet in the habitable zone (HZ) to the near future state of the art RV precision and attempt to answer the question: How close are we to detecting Earth-like planet in the HZ using the RV technique?

title: Dissipation in the effective field theory for hydrodynamics: First order effects
abstract: We introduce dissipative effects in the effective field theory of hydrodynamics. We do this in a model-independent fashion by coupling the long-distance degrees of freedom explicitly kept in the effective field theory to a generic sector that "lives in the fluid", which corresponds physically to the microscopic constituents of the fluid. At linear order in perturbations, the symmetries, the derivative expansion, and the assumption that this microscopic sector is thermalized, allow us to characterize the leading dissipative effects at low frequencies via three parameters only, which correspond to bulk viscosity, shear viscosity, and--in the presence of a conserved charge--heat conduction. Using our methods we re-derive the Kubo relations for these transport coefficients.

title: An effective theory for holographic RG flows
abstract: A bstractWe study the dilaton action induced by RG flows between holographic CFT fixed points. For this purpose we introduce a general bulk effective theory for the goldstone boson of the broken spacetime symmetry, providing an AdS analog of the EFT of Inflation. In two dimensions, we use the effective theory to compute the dilaton action, as well as the UV and IR conformal anomalies, without further assumptions. In higher dimensions we take a ‘slow-flow’ limit analogous to the assumption of slow-roll in Inflation, and in this context we obtain the dilaton action, focusing on terms proportional to the difference of the A-type anomalies. We include Gauss-Bonnet terms in the gravitational action in order to verify that our method correctly differentiates between A-type and other anomalies.

title: Measurement of the weak mixing angle with the Drell-Yan process in proton-proton collisions at the LHC
abstract: A multivariate likelihood method to measure electroweak couplings with the Drell–Yan process at the LHC is presented. The process is described by the dilepton rapidity, invariant mass, and decay angle distributions. The decay angle ambiguity due to the unknown assignment of the scattered constituent quark and antiquark to the two protons in a collision is resolved statistically using correlations between the observables. The method is applied to a sample of dimuon events from proton-proton collisions at √s=7  TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.1  fb-1. From the dominant uu , dd →γ*/Z→μ-μ+ process, the effective weak mixing angle parameter is measured to be sin⁡2θeff=0.2287±0.0020 (stat.)±0.0025 (syst.). This result is consistent with measurements from other processes, as expected within the standard model.