报告摘要:Physics in one or two dimensions can be drastically different from that takes place in the three-dimensional world around us. Here are some puzzling questions in the flatlands: Can two-dimensional systems spontaneously break continuous symmetries and order at finite temperature? Why Hall conductance in disordered two-dimensional systems can be quantized to integer values with unbelievably high precision? Is there spectral gap for quantum spin chains with integer spin values? These questions led physicists to the realm of topological phases and topological phase transitions. In this talk I will explain the history and physics behind this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics. The use of topology as a tool pioneered by the three Laureates has become the mainstream of condensed matter research in recent years.

报告人简介：万歆教授1995年本科毕业于复旦大学物理系，2000年获得普林斯顿大学电子工程系博士学位。其后五年他在美国佛罗里达州高磁场国家实验室和德国卡尔斯鲁厄研究中心纳米技术所从事博士后研究。2005年回国加入浙江大学物理系，香港大学Daniel Tsui Fellowship，韩国浦项工业大学兼职教授。万歆教授的主要研究方向是分数量子霍尔效应和拓扑量子计算。