Conformal anomaly in Dirac systems: transport, boundaries, and screening
DIPC Seminars
- Speaker
-
Maxim Chernodub, University of Tours, CNRS, France
- When
-
2019/10/21
13:00 - Place
- Donostia International Physics Center
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Quantum fluctuations in an interacting, classically-conformal field theory
usually break the underlying conformal invariance. This phenomenon, known as
the conformal (as well as "scale," "Weyl," or "trace") anomaly, reveals itself
via the presence of a nonzero beta function which determines the dependence of
a particular coupling constant on the energy scale of the interaction. Using a
Dirac semimetal as an example, we discuss transport effects that may be
generated by the conformal anomaly both in bulk and at the boundary of the
material. We show that the conformal anomaly generates the Nernst thermal
current, leads to a polynomial screening of electrostatic field, and
interferes naturally with the axial anomaly. All these effects are governed by
the beta function associated with the electric charge renormalization in the
material.