Photons and electrons as emergent phenomena

TL;DR

This paper discusses how exotic phases of matter in condensed systems, via string-net condensation, can give rise to emergent gauge bosons and fermions, potentially explaining the origin of elementary particles.

Contribution

It introduces the concept that photons and electrons can emerge from string-net condensed phases, proposing a unified origin of elementary particles in condensed matter physics.

Findings

Emergent gauge bosons and fermions in spin models

String-net condensation can mimic elementary particles

Potential for artificial creation of particles in condensed matter

Abstract

Recent advances in condensed matter theory have revealed that new and exotic phases of matter can exist in spin models (or more precisely, local bosonic models) via a simple physical mechanism, known as "string-net condensation." These new phases of matter have the unusual property that their collective excitations are gauge bosons and fermions. In some cases, the collective excitations can behave just like the photons, electrons, gluons, and quarks in our vacuum. This suggests that photons, electrons, and other elementary particles may have a unified origin -- string-net condensation in our vacuum. In addition, the string-net picture indicates how to make artificial photons, artificial electrons, and artificial quarks and gluons in condensed matter systems.