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CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS

Quantum electrodynamics in a piece of rock

Gauge theories, such as quantum electrodynamics, are a cornerstone of high-energy particle physics. They may also describe the physics of certain unassuming materials. Recent theoretical work moves this idea closer to reality.

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Fig. 1: A piece of rock and features of the gauge theory that may describe it.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks T. Grover and A. Kobach for helpful comments. The work of J.M. is supported in part by funds provided by the US Department of Energy under cooperative research agreement DE-SC0009919.

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Correspondence to John McGreevy.

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McGreevy, J. Quantum electrodynamics in a piece of rock. Nat Rev Phys 1, 583–584 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-019-0106-7

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