{"id":20743,"date":"2026-10-08T12:08:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T12:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=20743"},"modified":"2026-10-08T12:08:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T12:08:07","slug":"acoustic-experiments-confirm-topology-can-persist-at-gapless-critical-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=20743","title":{"rendered":"Acoustic experiments confirm topology can persist at gapless critical points"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-rewritten:<\/strong> This is a summary of an article from Phys.org, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.<\/p>\n

Phys.org • October 7, 2026<\/strong><\/div>\n\n

Two recent studies published in the journal Nature confirm that topological properties can persist even when a material’s energy gap closes at a critical point. This discovery challenges the long-held view that topology requires an energy gap to exist. The research was led by teams of Prof. Baile Zhang at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Prof. Jianhua Jiang at the University of Science and Technology of China. Prof. Xue-Jia Yu from the Eastern Institute of Technology in Ningbo served as a co-corresponding author on both papers and provided key theoretical guidance for the experimental collaborations.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In conventional physics, matter states are often defined by symmetry breaking, but topological phases rely on global properties that remain unchanged under continuous deformation. These phases usually require an energy gap to protect their conducting edge states from disruptions. However, at a critical point where phase transitions occur, such as water turning into vapor, the energy gap closes completely. For decades, scientists believed this gapless condition made it impossible for topology to survive, viewing criticality and topology as incompatible concepts.<\/p>\n

To test this possibility, Prof. Yu’s team collaborated with experimentalists using acoustic metamaterials as a platform. They conducted two independent experiments that successfully observed topological zero-energy modes and entanglement spectra at a one-dimensional Floquet critical point. These results provide the first experimental evidence that topological phases can coexist with critical universal behavior, even without an energy gap.<\/p>\n

The findings transform critical topology from a theoretical concept into experimental reality. The studies suggest new possibilities for future research in topological quantum computation and novel acoustic devices. While the specific dates of publication were listed as 2026 in the text provided, the core achievement remains the confirmation that topology can survive at gapless critical points through precise experimental observation.<\/p>\n

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Source:<\/strong> Phys.org • October 7, 2026<\/p>\n

Read the original article at Phys.org →<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Phys.org, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story. Phys.org • October 7, 2026 Two recent studies published in the journal Nature confirm that topological properties can persist<\/p>\n

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