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Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
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Solids in which the atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite repeating pattern are known as crystalline solids. Metals and ionic compounds typically form ordered, crystalline solids. A crystalline solid has a precise melting temperature because each atom or molecule of the same type is held in place with the same forces or energy. Amorphous solids or non-crystalline solids (or, sometimes, glasses) which lack an ordered internal structure and are randomly arranged. Substances that...
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Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
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Topological Insulators in Amorphous Systems.

Adhip Agarwala1, Vijay B Shenoy1

  • 1Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.

Physical Review Letters
|June 24, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Researchers demonstrate topological phases in amorphous systems, not just crystalline solids. This expands the search for topological materials to disordered and random structures, revealing new possibilities for quantized conductance.

Area of Science:

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Materials Science
  • Quantum Mechanics

Background:

  • Topological insulators are typically understood through crystalline band theory.
  • This theory describes how electronic properties in crystals lead to non-trivial topology.
  • Experimental searches for topological materials rely heavily on this crystalline framework.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To theoretically demonstrate the realization of topological phases in amorphous systems.
  • To explore topological properties in randomly arranged sites and hopping models.
  • To expand the search for topological materials beyond crystalline solids.

Main Methods:

  • Construction of hopping models on randomly located sites (amorphous lattices).
  • Analysis of gapped ground states for non-trivial topological nature.

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  • Characterization using Bott indices and observation of quantized conductances at boundaries.

    • Main Results:

    • Demonstrated that amorphous systems can exhibit non-trivial topological phases.
    • Identified topological nature in gapped ground states of random lattices.
    • Observed quantized conductances in amorphous systems with boundaries.

    Conclusions:

    • Topological phases can be realized in amorphous systems, challenging the reliance on crystalline structures.
    • Amorphous solids and engineered random systems offer promising avenues for discovering new topological materials.
    • This work broadens the scope for identifying and utilizing topological phenomena.