2. Vorlesung im Rahmen der Schrödinger-Gastprofessur 2023
The phenomenon of self-organised localisation is presented. When the fundamental parameters of a theory are functions of a scalar field subject to large fluctuations during inflation, quantum phase transitions can act as dynamical attractors. As a result, the theory parameters are probabilistically localised around the critical value and the Universe finds itself at the edge of a phase transition. Examples will be given in which self-organised localisation accounts for the observed near-criticality of the Higgs self-coupling, the naturalness of the Higgs mass, or the smallness of the cosmological constant.
