Localized and delocalized topological modes of heat

The topological physics has sparked intensive investigations into topological lattices in photonic, acoustic, and mechanical systems, powering counterintuitive effects otherwise inaccessible with usual settings. Following the success of these endeavors in classical wave dynamics, there has been a growing interest in establishing their topological counterparts in diffusion. Here, we propose an additional real-space dimension in diffusion, and the system eigenvalues are transformed from "imaginary" to "real." By judiciously tailoring the effective Hamiltonian with coupling networks, localized and delocalized topological modes are realized in heat transfer. Simulations and experiments in active thermal lattices validate the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical strategy. This approach can be applied to establish various topological lattices in diffusion systems, offering insights into engineering topologically protected edge states in dynamic diffusive scenarios.