R. Shankar
Yale University
Friday, November
14, 2008
4:00 pm in SPL 57
The Renormalization Group and the Landau Fermi liquid: what are they and who cares?
Abstract: The Renormalization Group (RG) is a way of thinking that has revolutionalized many areas of physics: quantum field theory, condensed matter theory, nuclear theory and nonlinear dynamics. Landau's Fermi liquid theory which predicts what a macroscopic number of Fermions will do at low temperatures was basically pulled out of a hat using Landau's genius. The Fermi liquid is central to condensed matter theory, nuclear theory and and to particle physics at finite density, as in a neutron star. I will explain what the RG is and how it helps us understand Landau's Fermi liquid without being as smart as Mr Landau.
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