Superconductors with Topological Order and their Realization in Josephson Junction Arrays

We will describe a new superconductivity mechanism, proposed by the authors in [1], which is based on a topologically ordered ground state rather than on the usual Landau mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking. Contrary to anyon superconductivity it works in any dimension and it preserves P-and T-invariance. In particular we will discuss the low-energy effective field theory, what would be the Landau-Ginzburg formulation for conventional superconductors.Comment: invited review, to appear in "Superconductivity Research Advances", Nova Publishers, 32 page

Symmetry Aspects and Finite-Size Scaling of Quantum Hall Fluids

The exactness and universality observed in the quantum Hall effect suggests the existence of a symmetry principle underlying Laughlin's theory. We review the role played by the infinite $W_{\infty }$ and conformal algebras as dynamical symmetries of incompressible quantum fluids and show how they predict universal finite-size effects in the excitation spectrum.Comment: 15 pages, CERN-TH-6784/93, LateX fil