Tag

Topology

All articles tagged with #topology

science6 hours ago•4 min saved

Light Develops Spinning Patterns in Empty Space via Topological Geometry

Researchers from the University of East Anglia and the University of the Witwatersrand have discovered that light can spontaneously develop left- and right-handed spinning patterns as it travels through empty space. This phenomenon, which defies previous assumptions requiring specialized lenses or materials, is governed by the topological structure of the light beam. The finding offers a new method to control light behavior, with potential applications in medical diagnostics, secure communications, and quantum computing.

via Science Daily|

#medical-diagnostics #optics #quantum-physics

innovation1 month ago•7 min saved

Data Goes Unscathed Through Turbulent Air Using Light Topology

Researchers demonstrated a world-first method to transmit optical data through open air without distortion-correction hardware by encoding information in the light's topology using skyrmions. In real-world tests over hundreds of meters, the topologically encoded beams retained data with ~98% fidelity under normal conditions and about 86% under extreme turbulence, suggesting cheaper, more robust long-distance optical links and potential applications in space, satellite downlinks, and bridging the digital divide.

via Interesting Engineering|

#atmospheric-distortion #free-space-optical-communication #innovation

science3 months ago•6 min saved

Topology Could Tame the Cosmological Constant

Brown University researchers argue that space-time topology in the CSK (Chern-Simons-Kodama) approach to quantum gravity could stabilize the cosmological constant at a small, quantized value by a mechanism analogous to the quantum Hall effect's topological protection, offering a potential path to reconciling vacuum energy with the universe’s expansion.

via ScienceDaily|

#chern-simons-kodama #cosmological-constant #quantum-gravity

science4 months ago•3 min saved

Topology Reveals Global Shape of Black Hole Thermodynamics

Black holes are not just features of their accretion disks: they possess intrinsic temperature and entropy, and topology is used to classify their thermodynamic behavior. By identifying special zero points in the thermodynamic landscape and assigning them topological charges, physicists derive a global fingerprint that distinguishes different black-hole types (such as Schwarzschild vs. Reissner–Nordström) while remaining robust to changes in mass, charge, or spin; this approach links stability and state transitions to invariant properties and could illuminate paths toward quantum gravity, with implications for light rings and spacetime bending.

via Universe Today|

#astrophysics #black-holes #quantum-gravity

science5 months ago•8 min saved

Hidden Handedness Emerges in Free-Space Light

Researchers show that light can naturally develop handedness (chirality) as it travels through empty space—even without mirrors or special materials—due to its internal topology when the beam is prepared in a balanced state. The emergent spin and twist of structured light could enable new ways to encode information, improve medical diagnostics and sensing, and boost data capacity in communications and future quantum networks.

via SciTechDaily|

#chirality #light #quantum-networks

mathematics5 months ago•14 min saved

Colorful QR Codes Put Knot Theory on a Faster Track

A new knot invariant designed to be both strong and fast to compute outputs hexagonal QR-code images for each knot, enabling reliable distinction even for knots with hundreds of crossings and offering potential insights into genus and other topological features, with the work tying to the Kontsevich integral's two-loop approximation.

via Quanta Magazine|

#invariants #knot-theory #mathematics

chemistry6 months ago•68 min saved

Scientists Forge a Half-Möbius Molecule with a New Electronic Topology

Researchers built a 13‑carbon ring that hosts two isolated conjugated subsystems; by placing chlorine atoms to separate them, the ring spontaneously twists by 90 degrees and becomes a single, fully delocalized 24‑electron system with a unique electronic/magnetic profile distinct from classic Möbius structures. The molecule exists as two enantiomers, which can be interconverted using a small external voltage, a breakthrough reported in Science by Manchester and IBM Zurich teams and signaling a new topological approach to designing matter.

via Live Science|

#chemistry #chirality #electronic-structure

physics6 months ago•5 min saved

Researchers Reveal Rich 48-Dimensional Topology Inside Entangled Photons

Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand and collaborators demonstrated that entangled photons carry a hidden, high-dimensional topology—up to 48 dimensions—with over 17,000 distinct signatures. This topology arises from a single property of light, its orbital angular momentum, enabling a new high-dimensional encoding scheme for quantum information. Because OAM spans many values, the resulting topology can be very rich, and the effect can be observed using standard SPDC lab setups, potentially improving the robustness of future quantum technologies.

via ScienceDaily|

#high-dimensional-states #orbital-angular-momentum #photonics

science7 months ago•13 min saved

Entangled Photons Unveil a 48-Dimensional Topology

Physicists from the University of the Witwatersrand and Huzhou University report that entangled photons produced via spontaneous parametric downconversion harbor a rich, high-dimensional topological structure within their spatial degrees of freedom, specifically in orbital angular momentum. They observed a topology spanning 48 dimensions with over 17,000 distinct signatures, suggesting new ways to encode and protect quantum information against noise. Because OAM is inherently high-dimensional, the topology is also effectively limitless in practice, and these effects can be explored with standard quantum optics lab setups, offering a practical path toward more stable quantum technologies.

via SciTechDaily|

#orbital-angular-momentum #quantum-entanglement #quantum-information

science7 months ago•4 min saved

Quantum Hardware Verifies a Half-Möbius Molecule Topology

Researchers used quantum hardware to validate a novel 'half-Möbius' molecule topology, confirming a four-loop orbital structure and modeling up to 32 electrons; while not proving quantum supremacy, the work shows quantum computers becoming a practical tool for chemistry and materials science.

via Gizmodo|

#chemistry #molecule #quantum-computers

science7 months ago•11 min saved

Knots Fall Apart in Four-Dimensional Space, But Surfaces Remain Knotty

The article explains that in four dimensions a knot tied on a rope cannot stay knotted, because the extra dimension lets strands slide past each other; by contrast, two-dimensional surfaces such as balloons can still be knotted in higher dimensions. A guiding formula says you can knot an object of dimension d only up to dimension 2d+1; for a rope (1D) that means up to 3D, while a 2D surface can be knotted in up to 5D. The piece uses analogies (ants on a line, a movie-like sequence of 3D frames) to visualize 4D space and notes that knotted surfaces in 4D is a vibrant area of research linking geometry to our understanding of four-dimensional space.

via The Conversation|

#dimension #four-dimensional-space #knots

science8 months ago•7 min saved

Laser flips magnetism in twisted 2D material, enabling light-defined circuits

Researchers demonstrated optical, non-thermal control of magnetism in a twisted bilayer MoTe2; a laser pulse reversibly flips the ferromagnetic polarity, with switching dynamics tied to whether electrons reside in a topological insulating or metallic state. This links topology and magnetism in a single platform and suggests future possibilities for light-written topological circuits and tiny interferometers on chips.

via SciTechDaily|

#laser #magnetism #moire-materials

science8 months ago•4 min saved

Quantum-Critical Surprise: New Topological State Found in CeRu4Sn6

Researchers observed a novel topological semimetal state in CeRu4Sn6 at ultracold temperatures, a phase once deemed impossible, arising from quantum criticality that ties strong electron interactions to topology. The state was signaled by an unusual Hall effect without a magnetic field, indicating robust topological behavior with potential quantum-tech applications. The team plans to explore this state in other materials and refine the topology details. Published in Nature Physics.

via ScienceAlert|

#ceru4sn6 #condensed-matter #quantum-criticality

physics8 months ago•16 min saved

Emergent Topology Arises in Quantum-Critical CeRu4Sn6

Researchers at TU Wien report that the quantum material CeRu4Sn6 enters a quantum-critical regime at ultra-low temperatures where electrons lose their particle-like character, yet the system hosts an emergent topological semimetal state. They observed a spontaneous (anomalous) Hall effect without an external magnetic field, linking quantum fluctuations to topology and suggesting that topological properties can arise even when the conventional particle-picture fails. The work also points to a generalized, emergent view of topology and proposes focusing on quantum-critical materials to discover new topological phases.

via SciTechDaily|

#ceru4sn6 #condensed-matter-physics #emergent-topological-semimetal

science8 months ago•5 min saved

Cosmic Hall of Mirrors: Could the Universe Loop Back on Itself?

A COMPACT collaboration suggests the universe could be finite yet boundary-less, with light looping through space in a 3-torus topology that could create mirrored observations of the same region. While not yet confirmed, the idea expands searches for topological fingerprints in the CMB and broader Euclidean/non-Euclidean models.

via Indian Defence Review|

#3-torus #cmb #cosmology