PHYSICS DISSERTATION DEFENSE: Brandon Rayhaun

Date

Tue July 26th 2022, 1:30 - 2:30pm

Location

Varian 355

Ph.D. Candidate: Brandon Rayhaun

Research Advisor: Shamit Kachru

Date: July 26, 2022
Time: 1:30pm
Location: Varian 355

Zoom Link: https://stanford.zoom.us/j/99218094388

Zoom Password: email nickswan [at] stanford.edu (nickswan[at]stanford[dot]edu) for password

Title: Explorations in 2d conformal field theory

Abstract: Two-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) have enjoyed a number of applications in physics and mathematics: they capture the universal physics of statistical systems near second order phase transitions, they arise on the world-sheets of string theories, they encode protected observables in higher dimensional quantum field theories, and they make important appearances in several stories from pure mathematics. In this talk, I will describe two results: one concerns the classification of 2d CFTs of a certain kind, and the other concerns the construction of special 2d CFTs which naturally realize exceptional finite symmetry.