English

Exotic Topology in Ordinary Soft Matter

Soft Condensed Matter 2021-08-11 v5 Materials Science Fluid Dynamics

Abstract

Hydrodynamics is shown to induce non-Hermitian topological phenomena in ordinary, passive soft matter. This is demonstrated for the first time by subjecting a 2D elastic lattice to a low-Reynolds viscous flow. The interplay of hydrodynamics and elasticity splits Dirac cones into bulk Fermi arcs, pairing exceptional points with opposite half-integer topological charges. The bulk Fermi arc is a generic hallmark of the system exhibited in all lattice and flow symmetries. Analytic model and simulations explain how the emergent singularities shape the spectral bands and give rise to a web of van Hove singularity lines in the density of states. The present findings suggest that non-Hermitian physics can be explored in a broad class of ordinary soft matter, living and artificial alike, opening avenues for topology-based technology in this regime.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2102.04184,
  title  = {Exotic Topology in Ordinary Soft Matter},
  author = {Tsvi Tlusty},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2102.04184},
  year   = {2021}
}