Calendar of Events

Speaker: Taylor Hughes, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Abstract: In this talk I will introduce the recently developed concept of higher order topology and discuss realizations of higher order topological insulator phases in quantum materials and in analog engineered materials such as photonic crystals, microwave resonator arrays, and circuit resonator arrays. I will first present a broad overview of condensed matter physics and the role topology plays in this context, which I hope will appeal to a diverse, non-expert audience. For the second half of the talk I will move on to more recent theoretical and experimental developments which include the prediction and experimental discovery of higher order topological insulators. Finally, I will highlight the interplay between topology and geometry by illustrating the sensitivity of higher order topological insulators to crystalline defects such as disclinations, and partial dislocations.

 Host:  Jed Pixley