Xiao-Gang Wen

Xiao- Gang Wen (* November 26, 1961 in Beijing) is an American physicist who deals with theoretical solid state physics. He was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is since 2011 at the Perimeter Institute.

Life

Who studied at the University of Science and Technology in Beijing with a bachelor's degree in 1982 and from Princeton University with a master's degree in 1983 and his doctorate in 1987., Where he worked with Edward Witten Superstring theory. As a post - graduate student he was a member of the Institute of Theoretical Physics of the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he worked with Robert Schrieffer, Frank Wilczek and Anthony Zee and turned to solid state physics. From 1991, he was Assistant Professor, 1995 Associate Professor and since 2000 professor at MIT. Since 2011, he has the Isaac Newton Research Chair at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Wen research concentrated on topological order in systems such as the quantum Hall effect. The concept of topological order, he led in 1989 to describe quantum Hall liquids ( with broken symmetries and order parameters ) can not be described in terms of Lev Landau by the classical theory of phase transitions. In 2001, he led a general concept of quantum order.

He uses solid-state systems as models (spin models on lattices ) for unified theories of elementary particle physics (String Net Physics ). Inspiration was (similar to quarks among others charge a third) in the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect ( FQHE ) the monitoring of the fractional charge. Who sees this as an example of new topological phases of solid-state systems with string -like description of quasiparticles. With Levin, he found that the string liquids can be described by the Maxwell equation and the ends of the strings give models for fermions (electrons) (later they could also gauge bosons and quarks and gravitons order model ), so that thus a solid model of elementary particle physics revealed. Wen hopes in that of his colleague Young Lee at MIT (to avoid impurities in the crystal structure ) synthetically produced Herbertsmithtit an experimental model for these theories to be found. In the mineral, the electrons are arranged in a trigonal triangles in a two-dimensional grid. The preferred direction of adjacent electron spin is anti-parallel, but the third electron must be parallel to one of the two other alignment. The system is frustrated, leading to random fluctuations in the spinning, and a spinning liquid.

He is also pursuing applications to topological quantum computer ( a concept that introduced the mathematician Michael Freedman and Alexei Kitajew in the 1980s ).

By Patrick A. Lee, he developed a SU (2) theory of high-temperature superconductors.

In 1992 he was Sloan Fellow. In 2006 he was when Moore Scholar at Caltech, 2002 to 2004 he was a visiting professor at the Center for Advanced Study of Tsinghua University in 2009 and a visiting professor at the Perimeter Institute. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society ( 2002).

Writings

• Quantum Field Theory of Many Body Systems, Oxford University Press 2004
• With Michael Levin photon and Electrons as emergent phenomena, Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol 77, 2005, pp. 871-879, Arxiv
• With Zheng - Cheng Gu Emergency of helicity / - 2 modes ( gravitons ) from qubit models, Nuclear Physics B, Volume 863, 2009, pp. 90-129 Arxiv
• With Levin Fermions, strings, and gauge fields in lattice spin models, Phys. Rev. B, Volume 67, 2003, pp. 245316, Arxiv
• From new states of matter to a unification of light and electrons, Progr Theor. Phys., Suppl, Volume 160, 2006, pp. 351-360, Arxiv
• An Introduction to Quantum Order, String -net Condensation, and Emergence of Light and Fermions, Annals of Physics, Volume 316, 2005, pp. 1, Arxiv