De Haro, Sebastian and Cinti, Enrico
(2026)
Dualities in Physics.
[Preprint]
This is the latest version of this item.
Abstract
For more than half a century, dualities have been at the heart of modern physics. From quantum mechanics to statistical mechanics, condensed matter physics, quantum field theory and quantum gravity, dualities have proven useful in solving problems that are otherwise quite intractable. Being surprising and unexpected, dualities have been taken to raise philosophical questions about the nature and formulation of scientific theories, scientific realism, emergence, symmetries, explanation, understanding, and theory construction. This book discusses what dualities are, gives a selection of examples, explores the themes and roles that make dualities interesting, and highlights their most salient types. It aims to be an entry point into discussions of dualities in both physics and philosophy. The philosophical discussion emphasises three main topics: whether duals are theoretically equivalent, the view of scientific theories that is suggested by dualities (namely, a geometric view of theories), and the compatibility between duality and emergence.
| Item Type: |
Preprint
|
| Creators: |
|
| Additional Information: |
This is the pre-submission version of a Cambridge Element in the Foundations of Contemporary Physics. The book is published by Cambridge University Press and is available here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/dualities-in-physics/45667B3C71A2C7A5B347748239243EC7. When citing this work, please refer to the published version. |
| Keywords: |
Duality, theoretical equivalence, geometric view of theories, emergence, position-momentum duality, electric-magnetic duality, Kramers-Wannier duality, Yang-Mills theory, T-duality, AdS-CFT, bulk reconstruction, solitons, monopoles. |
| Subjects: |
General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics
Specific Sciences > Computation/Information > Quantum
Specific Sciences > Physics > Condensed Matter
Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
General Issues > Structure of Theories
Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances |
| Depositing User: |
Dr Sebastian De Haro
|
| Date Deposited: |
08 May 2026 11:42 |
| Last Modified: |
08 May 2026 11:42 |
| Item ID: |
29535 |
| Official URL: |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/dualities-... |
| Subjects: |
General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics
Specific Sciences > Computation/Information > Quantum
Specific Sciences > Physics > Condensed Matter
Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics
General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
General Issues > Structure of Theories
Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances |
| Date: |
7 May 2026 |
| URI: |
https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/29535 |
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