Field Theory and Quantum Fluctuations of Fluid Membranes

JIMMY QIN, Harvard College '21

THURJ Volume 12 | Issue 2

Abstract

We review effective field theories of fluid membranes, including the role of topology, and outline two kinds of phase
transitions due to quantum fluctuations. We second-quantize the quantum fluctuations of idealized fluid membranes at
low temperature. We illustrate how to find the spectrum of fluctuations for the simple examples of a sphere and a torus
by introducing isothermal coordinates.