Duality transformations are mathematical methods that relate the physical properties of one system to those of another, possibly very different, physical system. If such a transformation exists, the systems are said to be dual to each other. Until recently, duality transformations were simply one of the items in theoreticians' bags of tricks used to conjure up exact solutions, or partial solutions, of statistical mechanics models of phase transitions, and of quantum field theories. However, as described in this issue, experimentalists have now gotten into the act, presenting tantalizing evidence of some potentially important physical consequences of duality symmetry in condensed matter systems.
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