Add BrightSurf on Google Email

Topology helps build more robust photonic networks

Researchers have shown that topology can guide multiple, information-carrying light signals through chip-based photonic communication systems, making them more powerful and reliable. This breakthrough could enable the creation of networks of chips that communicate using light while taking advantage of topology's robustness.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science·JournalNature Physics·TypeExperimental study·DateMar 19, 2026

Defects in the structure of insulating materials can trigger the transformation into a conductor

Topological defects in the structure of certain insulating materials can trigger a transition to conductivity, enabling the development of new ultra-fast devices and memories. Researchers have discovered that these defects play a crucial role in the transformation of Mott materials from an insulating to a conductive state.

SourceUniversita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore·JournalNature Communications·DateNov 15, 2024

When the music changes, so does the dance: Controlling cooperative electronic states in Kagome metals

A team of scientists has developed a novel strain-free approach to investigate the intrinsic electronic ground state of Kagome superconductors. This study provides a unifying picture of the controversial charge order in Kagome metals, highlighting the need for material control at the microscopic scale.

SourceMax Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter·JournalNature Physics·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 29, 2024

HKUST and UChicago researchers find new ways of leveraging topological defects in liquid crystals to make “computer”

Researchers at HKUST and UChicago have designed the basic elements needed for logic operations using liquid crystals, paving the way for novel computing methods. The team controlled topological defects to perform operations like amplification and switching, opening the door to potential applications in robotics and sensing.

Seeing stable topology using instabilities

Researchers have developed a method to characterize topological phases of light using nonlinear instabilities, offering a simpler way to probe and generate these states. The approach exploits the quantized properties of vortices formed during modulational instability, providing a new tool for identifying different topological phases.

SourceInstitute for Basic Science·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateFeb 19, 2021

The interplay of nonlinearity and topology--nontrivial eigenmodes coupling induced by nonlinearity

A team of scientists experimentally demonstrated nonlinearity-induced coupling of light into topological edge states using a photonic platform. They developed a general theoretical framework to explain the nonlinear process, revealing that nonlinearity enables energy flow from bulk modes into topological edge modes in linear systems.