Uncovering New Dynamics in QCD by Symmetry: Higgs-Confinement Transition
Dynamics of strongly interacting gauge theories such as finite density QCD has been a challenge in theoretical physics due to the sign problem in Monte Carlo simulation. I will show that symmetry-protected topological phases provide a diagnosis for new phase transitions, and I will argue there is a new quantum phase transition between the Higgs regime and confinement regime in finite density QCD at zero temperature. As a consequence, this also leads to new interior structure in heavy neutron stars with quark matter core. The talk is based on https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.16898 with Thomas Dumitrescu.