English

Symmetry and Emergence

High Energy Physics - Theory 2018-03-14 v3 Other Condensed Matter High Energy Physics - Phenomenology

Abstract

I discuss gauge and global symmetries in particle physics, condensed matter physics, and quantum gravity. In a modern understanding, global symmetries are approximate and gauge symmetries may be emergent. (Based on a lecture at the April, 2016 meeting of the American Physical Society in Salt Lake City, Utah.)

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1710.01791,
  title  = {Symmetry and Emergence},
  author = {Edward Witten},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1710.01791},
  year   = {2018}
}

Comments

10 pp

R2 v1 2026-06-22T22:04:02.158Z