Title: Lecture 3: On the continuum limit of a quantum spin chain (??)
Speaker: Vaughan Jones (Vanderbilt University)
Abstract: A quantum spin chain is a linear array of quantum “spins” evolving according to some local interaction.It is received wisdom in physics that, if the spacing between neighbouring spins tends to zero, one should obtain a quantum field theory in this “scaling limit”. It should exhibit conformal symmetry if the spin chain is critical.
After explaining these terms we will discuss a failed attempt to obtain the quantum field theory by reversing the procedure known as block spin renormalisation.
Previous Lectures
Lecture 1: Some consequences of von Neumann dimension
Lecture 2: Some unitary representations of R. Thompson's groups.