Quantum field theory aspects of Dirac matter

Professor Maria Vozmediano, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). After the synthesis of graphene (massless Dirac fermions in (2+1) dimensions), Weyl semimetals emerged as physical realization chiral particles in (3+1) dimensions. Although they can be seen as 3D graphene, a series of new phenomena arise from the fundamental differences between chiral fermions in two and three dimensions. Chiral imbalance in 3D implies a set of anomaly related transport phenomena first discussed in the context of high energy collisions (quark-gluon plasma). In particular, quantum anomalies - most prominently the chiral anomaly - have provided a novel theoretical frame for the understanding of new magneto transport features in Weyl semimetals. More recently thermal transport has taken the lead in relation with the gravitational anomaly. In this talk I will describe some of the aspects of the cross-fertilization between condensed matter, particle physics and gravity. I will try to be pedagogical.