Related papers: Changing topology by topological defects in three-…
In this work, we explore a microscopic realization of three types of anyonic symmetries in a $\mathbb{Z}_2\times\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological order, corresponding to a double toric code. These symmetries act as nontrivial permutations on the…
We discuss the origin of topological defects in phase transitions and analyze their role as a "diagnostic tool" in the study of the non-equilibrium dynamics of symmetry breaking. Homogeneous second order phase transitions are the focus of…
Order-disorder transitions take place in many physical systems, but observing them in detail in real materials is difficult. In two- or quasi-two-dimensional systems, the transition has been studied by computer simulations and…
Gyroscopic metamaterials --- mechanical structures composed of interacting spinning tops --- have recently been found to support one-way topological edge excitations. In these structures, the time reversal symmetry breaking that enables…
We investigate the interplay of generalized global symmetries in 2+1 dimensions in a lattice model that couples a $\mathbb{Z}_N$ clock model to a $\mathbb{Z}_N$ gauge theory via a topological interaction. This coupling binds the charges of…
In this work, we introduce a new type of topological order which is protected by subsystem symmetries which act on lower dimensional subsets of lattice many-body system, e.g. along lines or planes in a three dimensional system. The symmetry…
A 3d symmetry protected topological phase, by definition must have symmetry protected nontrivial boundary states, namely its 2d boundary must be either gapless or degenerate. In this work we demonstrate that once we couple a 3d SPT phase to…
Topological defects are ubiquitous from solid state physics to cosmology, where they drive phase transitions by proliferating as domain walls, monopoles or vortices. As quantum excitations, they often display fractional charge and anyonic…
Topological defects are ubiquitous on surfaces with orientational order fields. Here, we study equilibrium states generated by the feedback between geometry and nematic order on fluid membranes with an integer topological defect. When the…
Dislocations are one-dimensional (1D) topological line defects where the lattice deviates from the perfect crystal structure. The presence of dislocations transcends condensed matter research and gives rise to a diverse range of emergent…
We study the role played by topological textures and antitextures during the phase ordering of a two-dimensional system described by the discretised nonlinear O(3) sigma model with purely dissipative dynamics. We identify and characterise…
We present a general analysis of two-dimensional optical lattice models that give rise to topologically non-trivial insulating states. We identify the main ingredients of the lattice models that are responsible for the non-trivial…
Standard two-dimensional orientation-field based phase-field models rely on a continuous scalar field to represent crystallographic orientation. The corresponding order parameter space is the unit circle, which is not simply-connected. This…
We experimentally investigate the nature of 2D phase transitions in a quasi-2D granular fluid. Using a surface decorated with periodically spaced dimples we observe interfacial tension between coexisting liquid and crystal phases.…
Spontaneous onset of a low temperature topologically ordered phase in a 2-dimensional (2D) lattice model of uniaxial liquid crystal (LC) was debated extensively pointing to a suspected underlying mechanism affecting the RG flow near the…
We propose a method to address the existence of topological edge modes in one-dimensional (1D) nonlinearlattices, by deforming the edge modes of linearized models into solutions of the fully nonlinear system. Forlarge enough nonlinearites,…
Liquid crystalline networks (LCNs) are stimuli-responsive materials formed from polymeric chains cross-linked with rod-like mesogenic segments, which, in the nematic phase, align along a non-polar director. A key characteristic of these…
Frustrated systems, typically characterized by competing interactions that cannot all be simultaneously satisfied, display rich behaviours not found elsewhere in nature. Artificial spin ice takes a materials-by-design approach to studying…
We found that the differential topology of the lattice-system of Ising model determines whether there can be the continuous phase transition, the geometric topology of the space the lattice-system is embedded in determines whether the…
Many physical systems involve two types of orientational order, which are coupled together. For example, ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals have coupled polar and nematic order, and tilted hexatic phases have coupled polar and hexatic…