Related papers: Topological modes bound to dislocations in mechani…
Liquids composed of self-propelled particles have been experimentally realized using molecular, colloidal, or macroscopic constituents. These active liquids can flow spontaneously even in the absence of an external drive. Unlike spontaneous…
We introduce structural heterogeneity, a new topological characteristic for semi-ordered materials that captures their degree of organisation at a mesoscopic level and tracks their time-evolution, ultimately detecting the order-disorder…
Traditional robots have rigid links and structures that limit their ability to interact with the dynamics of their immediate environment. For example, conventional robot manipulators with rigid links can only manipulate objects using…
Topological protection allows robust transport of localized phenomena such as quantum information, solitons, and dislocations. The transport can be either dissipative or non-dissipative. Here, we experimentally demonstrate and theoretically…
Mechanical extremal materials, a class of metamaterials that exist at the bounds of elastic theory, possess the extraordinary capability to engineer any desired elastic behavior by harnessing mechanical zero modes -- deformation modes that…
Higher-dimensional topological meta-materials have more flexible than one-dimensional topological materials, which are more convenient to apply and solve practical problems. However, in diffusion systems, higher-dimensional topological…
Floppy modes --- deformations that cost zero energy --- are central to the mechanics of a wide class of systems. For disordered systems, such as random networks and particle packings, it is well-understood how the number of floppy modes is…
Characterized by bulk Dirac or Weyl cones and surface Fermi-arc states, topological semimetals have sparked enormous research interest in recent years. The nanostructures, with large surface-to-volume ratio and easy field-effect gating,…
Artificial magnetism at optical frequencies can be realized in metamaterials composed of periodic arrays of subwavelength elements, also called "meta-atoms". Optically-induced magnetic moments can be arranged in both unstaggered structures,…
Recently, a new class of second-order topological insulators (SOTIs) characterized by an electronic dipole has been theoretically introduced and proposed to host topological corner states. As a novel topological state, it has been…
In a three-dimensional strong topological insulator, gapless helical surface states appear everywhere on its surface. In the presence of a screw dislocation, gapless helical modes also appear in the vicinity of the corresponding dislocation…
We put forward properties of solitons supported by optical lattices featuring topological dislocations, and show that solitons experience attractive and repulsive forces around the dislocations. Suitable arrangements of dislocations are…
We study amorphous systems with completely random sites and find that, through constructing and exploring a concrete model Hamiltonian, such a system can host an exotic phase of topological amorphous metal in three dimensions. In contrast…
A Kagome lattice, formed by triangles of two different directions, is known to have many emergent quantum phenomena. Under the breathing anisotropy of bond strengths, this lattice can become a higher-order topological insulator (HOTI),…
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…
Our understanding of topological insulators is based on an underlying crystalline lattice where the local electronic degrees of freedom at different sites hybridize with each other in ways that produce nontrivial band topology, and the…
Topological states enable robust transport within disorder-rich media through integer invariants inextricably tied to the transmission of light, sound, or electrons. However, the challenge remains to exploit topological protection in a…
Topological defects, such as domain walls and vortices, have long fascinated physicists. A novel twist is added in quantum systems like the B-phase of superfluid helium He$_3$, where vortices are associated with low energy excitations in…
Basket weaving is a traditional craft used to create practical three-dimensional (3D) structures. While the geometry and aesthetics of baskets have received considerable attention, the underlying mechanics and modern engineering potential…
Dualities are mathematical mappings that reveal unexpected links between apparently unrelated systems or quantities in virtually every branch of physics. Systems that are mapped onto themselves by a duality transformation are called…