Objectives of Programme's Learning Outcomes

• Master expertise.
• Have developed the knowledge and skills acquired in the previous cycle to a level that extends beyond the Bachelor's course in Physics, and which provides the basis for the development and implementation of original ideas in a professional context.
• Have acquired knowledge and a thorough understanding of specialist areas of physics in connection with mathematics and/or advanced laboratory practices required for these sectors.
• Have reached a level of knowledge and skill giving them access to the third cycle of the study programme / doctoral studies (only for two-year Master courses).

Learning Outcomes of UE

The main goals are: to show that second order phase transitions are described by conformal field theories, which is a special class of quantum field theories that, nevertheless, plays a fundamental role in the study of QFT themselves; to explain that certain simple conformal field theories have an infinite dimensional symmetry - higher spin symmetry - that completely fixes correlation functions; review Chern-Simons vector models and the recently discovered dualities therein.

UE Content: description and pedagogical relevance

Second order phase transitions, Landau theory; Conformal symmetry and universality; Basics of conformal field theories; High spin symmetry; Chern-Simons vector models and three-dimensional bosonization duality

Prior Experience

basics of quantum field theory and group theory