The actions of non-equilibrium systems and related matters
By: Michael Joseph Landry
Publisher: [publisher not identified]
Published: 2021
Place of publication: [New York, N.Y.?]
Language: eng
Description: In this work, we develop an effective field theory program for many-body systems out of finite temperature equilibrium. Building on recent work, we combine powerful mathematical tools such as the Schwinger-Keldysh closed-time-path formalism, the coset construction, and Wilsonian effective field theory to construct novel actions that describe a wide range of many-body systems out of finite-temperature equilibrium. Unlike ordinary actions, these non-equilibrium actions account for dissipation and statistical and quantum fluctuations. The novel actions constructed include those for solids, supersolids, nematic liquid crystals, smectic liquid crystals in phases A, B, and C, chemically reacting fluids, quasicrystals, higher-form dual theories of superfluids and solids, and plasmas that can support large charge density. In order to construct these actions, we propose a new kind of coset construction with a total of four distinct types of inverse Higgs constraints. We extend the coset construction to account for higher-form symmetries and investigate the relationship between two kinds of ’t Hooft anomalies and spontaneous symmetry breaking.
Notes: Department: Physics.

Thesis advisor: Alberto Nicolis.

Thesis advisor: Lam Hui.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Columbia University, 2021.