In condensed matter physics, analysis of symmetries is a fundamental theoretical technique used to classify phases of matter, constrain effective Hamiltonians, and predict emergent phenomena independent of microscopic details. By identifying spatial (lattice, point-group, translational), internal (spin, gauge), and spacetime (time-reversal) symmetries and how they are represented on fields or quasiparticles, one can determine allowed terms in Ginzburg–Landau functionals, low-energy effective field theories, and band structures. Symmetry considerations underlie methods such as group-theoretical classification of order parameters, symmetry-based selection rules, topological band theory, and the systematic construction of symmetry-protected and symmetry-enriched phases in crystalline and strongly correlated systems.
Time crystals represent a new phase of matter proposed by Frank Wilczek, the Nobel laureate of Physics in 2004; they can break original time-translation symmetry and create new time oscillations spontaneously.
Optics & Photonics
May 13, 2025
0
62
The materials that make up all the structures and physical systems around us, including our own bodies, are not perfect—they contain flaws in the form of tiny cracks. When one of these cracks suddenly and rapidly spreads, ...
General Physics
May 12, 2025
0
46
In the context of quantum physics, the term "duality" refers to transformations that link apparently distinct physical theories, often unveiling hidden symmetries. Some recent studies have been aimed at understanding and ...
In a new Nature Physics study, researchers have provided evidence of universal conformal invariance in living biological cells. They show that a universal feature in the collective behavior emerges in groups of living cells.
Imagine building a Lego tower with perfectly aligned blocks. Each block represents an atom in a tiny crystal, known as a quantum dot. Just like bumping the tower can shift the blocks and change its structure, external forces ...
Nanophysics
Mar 24, 2025
0
110
In April 1982, Prof. Dan Shechtman of the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology made the discovery that would later earn him the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: the quasiperiodic crystal. According to diffraction measurements ...
Condensed Matter
Feb 13, 2025
0
2527
In a study at the University of Twente, researchers discovered a way to scatter light in a special, symmetrical way using nanotechnology. This shows potential for future technologies such as anti-counterfeiting.
Optics & Photonics
Nov 29, 2024
0
31
Theoretical physicists have established a close connection between the two rapidly developing fields in theoretical physics, quantum information theory and non-invertible symmetries in particle and condensed matter theories, ...
Condensed Matter
Nov 29, 2024
1
300
Using muon spin rotation at the Swiss Muon Source SmS, researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have discovered that a quantum phenomenon known as time-reversal symmetry breaking occurs at the surface of the Kagome ...
Condensed Matter
Nov 6, 2024
4
407
A collaborative research team has identified the world's first multiple Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in a single vortex of the superconducting topological crystalline insulator SnTe and exploited crystal symmetry to control ...
Superconductivity
Aug 29, 2024
0
134
