The topology of the quantum vacuum

DOI10.1007/978-3-319-00266-8_14zbMATH Open1328.83068arXiv1111.4627OpenAlexW2182711171MaRDI QIDQ5261917FDOQ5261917

Authors: G. E. Volovik 

Publication date: 8 July 2015

Published in: Lecture Notes in Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Topology in momentum space is the main characteristics of the ground states of a system at zero temperature, the quantum vacua. The gaplessness of fermions in bulk, on the surface or inside the vortex core is protected by topology. Irrespective of the deformation of the parameters of the microscopic theory, the energy spectrum of these fermions remains strictly gapless. This solves the main hierarchy problem in particle physics. The quantum vacuum of Standard Model is one of the representatives of topological matter alongside with topological superfluids and superconductors, topological insulators and semi-metals, etc. There is a number of of topological invariants in momentum space of different dimensions. They determine universality classes of the topological matter and the type of the effective theory which emerges at low energy, give rise to emergent symmetries, including the effective Lorentz invariance, and emergent gauge and gravitational fields. The topological invariants in extended momentum and coordinate space determine the bulk-surface and bulk-vortex correspondence, connecting the topology in bulk with the real space. The momentum space topology gives some lessons for quantum gravity. In effective gravity emerging at low energy, the collective variables are the tetrad field and spin connections, while the metric is the composite object of tetrad field. This suggests that the Einstein-Cartan-Sciama-Kibble theory with torsion field is more relevant. There are also several scenarios of Lorentz invariance violation governed by topology, including splitting of Fermi point and development of the Dirac points with quadratic and cubic spectrum. The latter leads to the natural emergence of the Horava-Lifshitz gravity.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1111.4627

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zbMATH Keywords

effective theorytorsion fieldEinstein-Cartan-Sciama-Kibble theoryHořava-Lifshitz gravityeffective Lorentz invariancetopology of the quantum vacuum

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Quantum field theory on curved space or space-time backgrounds (81T20) Quantization of the gravitational field (83C45) Relativistic gravitational theories other than Einstein's, including asymmetric field theories (83D05) Topological characterizations of particular spaces (54F65)

Cited In (13)

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• Condensed matter lessons about the origin of time
• Resolving the Weinberg paradox with topology
• Conformal Lifshitz gravity from holography
• Topology of electroweak vacua
• Nexus and Dirac lines in topological materials
• Emergent Weyl spinors in multi-fermion systems
• Survey of analogue spacetimes
• A topological interpretation of quantum theory and elementary particle structure
• Standard model as the topological material
• Wigner-Weyl formalism and the propagator of Wilson fermions in the presence of varying external electromagnetic field
• Vacuum decomposition of Einstein's theory and knot topology of vacuum space-time
• Quantum Phase Transitions from Topology in Momentum Space

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