From Black Holes to Superconductors - Part 2/2

Black holes have the remarkable property of irreversibility: if you fall into a black hole you can't get out (classically). This immediately suggested a connection with the other famous irreversibility in physics: the law of increase of entropy. Since the 70s, this connection between black holes and thermodynamic systems has been fleshed out in increasing detail and has lead to surprising conclusions. I will give an introduction to a recent body of work showing how black holes can in fact be used to shed light on exotic materials of interest in condensed matter physics, including the still-not-understood high temperature superconductors.

This is part 2 of a 2-part mini-lecture series given by Professor Sean Hartnoll from the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics.