Occurence of multiple eigenvalues in families of self-adjoint operators is a question with numerous applications in mathematical physics. In this expository talk we will review the "no accidental multiplicities in one parameter" result of Wigner and von Neumann, the "typical" conical shape of eigenvalue multiplicities in two parameters, and the use of geometric phase (often called the "Berry phase" but in this case used earlier by Herzberg and Longuet-Higgins) to understand why the conical intersections cannot be destroyed without leaving the class of real operators. Theory will be illustrated by numerical simulations and the content will be kept accessible to advanced undergraduate students.
Geometric Phase and Stability of Conical Intersections
Geometric Phase and Stability of Conical Intersections