Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition and the Haldane Conjecture: Highlights of the Physics Nobel Prize 2016

TL;DR

The 2016 Nobel Prize recognized groundbreaking discoveries in topological phases, including the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition and Haldane's work on quantum spin chains, which revolutionized understanding of phase transitions and quantum materials.

Contribution

The paper highlights the Nobel-winning discoveries that introduced topological phase transitions and quantum spin gap phenomena, opening new research directions in physics.

Findings

Topological phase transitions of infinite order

Energy gaps in quantum spin chains

Initiation of new research fields in physics

Abstract

The 2016 Physics Nobel Prize honors a variety of discoveries related to topological phases and phase transitions. Here we sketch two exciting facets: the groundbreaking works by John Kosterlitz and David Thouless on phase transitions of infinite order, and by Duncan Haldane on the energy gaps in quantum spin chains. These insights came as surprises in the 1970s and 1980s, respectively, and they have both initiated new fields of research in theoretical and experimental physics.