We study the limit of D-series minimal models when the central charge tends to a generic irrational value c ∈ (−∞, 1). We find that the limit theory’s diagonal three-point structure constant differs from that of Liouville theory by a distribution factor, which is given by a divergent Verlinde formula. Nevertheless, correlation functions that involve both non-diagonal and diagonal fields are smooth functions of the diagonal fields’ conformal dimensions. The limit theory is a non-trivial example of a non-diagonal, non-rational, solved two-dimensional conformal field theory.

We study quantum dynamics on noncommutative spaces of negative curvature, focusing on the hyperbolic plane with spatial noncommutativity in the presence of a constant magnetic field. We show that the synergy of noncommutativity and the magnetic field tames the exponential divergence of operator growth caused by the negative curvature of the hyperbolic space. Their combined effect results in a first-order transition at a critical value of the magnetic field in which strong quantum effects subdue the exponential divergence for all energies, in stark contrast to the commutative case, where for high enough energies operator growth always diverge exponentially. This transition manifests in the entanglement entropy between the ‘left’ and ‘right’ Hilbert spaces of spatial degrees of freedom. In particular, the entanglement entropy in the lowest Landau level vanishes beyond the critical point. We further present a non-linear solvable bosonic model that realizes the underlying algebraic structure of the noncommutative hyperbolic plane with a magnetic field.

We study the rare-earth magnets on a honeycomb lattice, and are particularly interested in the experimental consequences of the highly anisotropic spin interaction due to the spin-orbit entanglement. We perform a high-temperature series expansion using a generic nearest-neighbor Hamiltonian with anisotropic interactions, and obtain the heat capacity, the parallel and perpendicular spin susceptibilities, and the magnetic torque coefficients. We further examine the electron spin resonance linewidth as an important signature of the anisotropic spin interactions. Due to the small interaction energy scale of the rare-earth moments, it is experimentally feasible to realize the strong-field regime. Therefore, we perform the spin-wave analysis and study the possibility of topological magnons when a strong field is applied to the system. The application and relevance to the rare-earth Kitaev materials are discussed.

Quantum fluctuations on curved spacetimes cause the emission of pairs of particles from the quantum vacuum, as in the Hawking effect from black holes. We use an optical analogue to gravity to investigate the influence of the curvature on quantum emission. Due to dispersion, the spacetime curvature varies with frequency here. We analytically calculate for all frequencies the particle flux, correlations and entanglement. We find that horizons increase the flux with a characteristic spectral shape. The photon number correlations transition from multi- to two-mode, with close to maximal entanglement. The quantum state is a diagnostic for the mode conversion in laboratory tests of quantum field theory on curved spacetimes. Numerical data repository F. Koenig and M. J. Jacquet, 2020, The influence of spacetime curvature on quantum emission in optical analogues to gravity, Dataset, University of St Andrews Research Portal (2020), doi:10.17630/cbf5b4f6-2c82-4eb5-9aaf-b596bf8090d8.

We present a general framework to systematically study the derivative expansion of asymptotically safe quantum gravity. It is based on an exact decoupling and cancellation of different modes in the Landau limit, and implements a correct mode count as well as a regularisation based on geometrical considerations. It is applicable independent of the truncation order. To illustrate the power of the framework, we discuss the quartic order of the derivative expansion and its fixed point structure as well as physical implications.