Condensed Matter Seminar

Rahul Roy
McMaster University

Thursday, October 30, 2008
1:00 pm in SPL 52

Topological Phases of systems with time reversal symmetry

Abstract: Recently, it has been realised that various systems which preserve time reversal symmetry can have topological phases which are analogous to the integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE) states. These systems include insulators, superconductors and superfluids. The topologically non-trivial phases of these systems have robust edge states and in the cases of superfluids and superconductors have exotic defects which exhibit non-abelian statistics. Some of these phases have recently been experimentally observed. In this talk, I will make connections between the topological phases in 2d and the IQHE states. Interestingly, there is a class of non-trivial topological phases in 3d that has no analogs among 3d integer quantum Hall states.