Related papers: Two-Dimensional Matter: Order, Curvature and Defec…
Our previous molecular dynamic simulation studies of simple two-dimensional (2D) systems \cite{matt_big} suggested that both geometrical defects (localized, large-amplitude deviations from hexagonal ordering) and topological defects…
Evolution of the order parameter in condensed matter analogues of cosmological phase transitions is discussed. It is shown that the density of the frozen-out topological defects is set by the competition between the quench rate -- the rate…
We study the spatiotemporal patterns that emerge when an active nematic film is topologically constraint. These topological constraints allow to control the non-equilibrium dynamics of the active system. We consider ellipsoidal shapes for…
There have been several proposals for platforms sustaining topological superconductivity in high temperature superconductors, in order to make use of the larger superconducting gap and the expected robustness of Majorana zero modes towards…
Optical nonlinearity depends on symmetry and symmetries vanish in the presence of defects. Vaccancy defects in centrosymmetric crystals and thin films are a well-known source of even-order optical nonlinearity, e.g. causing second harmonic…
The global topology of the Universe could, in principle, affect quantum systems through boundary condition constraints. We investigate this connection by analyzing how compact, flat, cosmologically inspired topologies, specifically the…
The properties of phase transitions and the types of order present in the low-temperature states of matter are fundamentally dependent on the dimensionality of physical systems. Generally, highly ordered states are more robust in higher…
Three dimensional topological insulators are bulk insulators with $\mathbf{Z}_2$ topological electronic order that gives rise to conducting light-like surface states. These surface electrons are exceptionally resistant to localization by…
Topological defects (such as monopoles, vortex lines, or domain walls) mark locations where disparate choices of a broken symmetry vacuum elsewhere in the system lead to irreconcilable differences. They are energetically costly (the energy…
Topological states of matter, as quantum Hall systems or topological insulators, cannot be distinguished from ordinary matter by local measurements in the bulk of the material. Instead, global measurements are required, revealing…
In amorphous materials, plasticity is localized and occurs as shear transformations. It was recently shown by Wu et al. that these shear transformations can be predicted by applying topological defect concepts developed for liquid crystals…
The curvature field is measured from tracer particle trajectories in a two-dimensional fluid flow that exhibits spatiotemporal chaos, and is used to extract the hyperbolic and elliptic points of the flow. These special points are pinned to…
Topological phase transitions challenge conventional paradigms in many-body physics by separating phases that are locally indistinguishable yet globally distinct. Using a quantum simulator of interacting erbium atoms in an optical lattice,…
An interface description and numerical simulations of model A kinetics are used for the first time to investigate the intra-surface kinetics of phase ordering on corrugated surfaces. Geometrical dynamical equations are derived for the…
We investigate cosmological structure formation seeded by topological defects which may form during a phase transition in the early universe. First we derive a partially new, local and gauge invariant system of perturbation equations to…
Topologically ordered phases of matter elude Landau's symmetry-breaking theory, featuring a variety of intriguing properties such as long-range entanglement and intrinsic robustness against local perturbations. Their extension to…
We study the formulation of bond-orientational order in an arbitrary two dimensional geometry. We find that bond-orientational order is properly formulated within the framework of differential geometry with torsion. The torsion reflects the…
Shape-morphing networks of mesoscale filaments are a common hierarchical feature in biology and hold significant potential for a range of technological applications, from micro-muscles to shape-morphing optical devices. Here, we demonstrate…
We study the low-temperature regime of an atomic liquid on the hyperbolic plane by means of molecular dynamics simulation and we compare the results to a continuum theory of defects in a negatively curved hexagonal background. In agreement…
Supersolidity -- a quantum-mechanical phenomenon characterized by the presence of both superfluidity and crystalline order -- was initially envisioned in the context of bulk solid helium, as a possible answer to the question of whether a…