Seminarium KMMF "Teoria Dwoistości"

Quantum lattice systems with local interactions can exhibit phases thatcannot be understood within the conventional symmetry-breaking paradigm.Examples include symmetry-protected phases, such as the Haldane phaseand certain topological insulators, as well as systems exhibitingso-called intrinsic topological order in two or more spatial dimensions.Still more exotic phenomena are possible in three dimensions. In thistalk, I will give a selective overview of these subjects, discussing thegeneral physical picture, representative models, and some approaches torigorous mathematical understanding. The talk will be expository, withno new results presented.