Topics in Modern Condensed Matter Theory I: Many Body Quantum Dynamics

Many body quantum systems can display rich dynamical phenomena far from thermal equilibrium. Understanding the non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum matter represents an exciting research frontier at the interface of condensed matter and AMO physics, high energy theory and quantum information. This is particularly topical in light of experimental advances in building quantum simulators and intermediate-scale quantum computers, which naturally operate in far-from-equilibrium regimes. This course is intended to serve as an introduction to this active research area, assuming only a knowledge of quantum mechanics and statistical physics. Topics covered include: quantum thermalization, quantum chaos, many-body localization, quantum entanglement and its dynamics, Floquet theory and time crystals, quantum circuits, quantum simulation, and tensor network methods. Prerequisites: PHYSICS 113, PHYSICS 130, PHYSICS 131, PHYSICS 170, and PHYSICS 171.