Topological Lattices

What’s This About?

Metamaterials are engineered materials designed to exhibit unconventional properties that do not exist in nature. A key frontier in this field is topological metamaterials—structures where energy behaves in robust and unexpected ways. Unlike conventional materials, their unique properties arise from the topology of wave dispersion, enabling precise energy localization and guidance.

Why Does It Matter?

Can we engineer materials that trap and direct vibrations with precision? If so, we open up new possibilities for energy manipulation, paving the way for smarter materials in:

Efficient Signal Processing – Enhancing wave control for improved communication and sensing.
Energy Harvesting – Capturing and converting mechanical energy more effectively.
Unconventional Computing – Leveraging wave-based information processing for novel computing architectures.

By mastering vibration and wave control at the fundamental level, topological metamaterials have the potential to transform applications in aerospace, robotics, and quantum technologies.

What We’re Working on Right Now

Our research explores whether novel topological phenomena emerges in different types of systems, including:

✔️ Periodic and quasi-periodic lattices (patterned structures)
✔️ Disordered systems (how randomness affects wave behavior)
✔️ Driven and lossy systems (energy input/output dynamics)
✔️ Nonlinear materials (new physics beyond traditional limits)

We’re pushing the boundaries of engineering and physics to develop novel architectures for future applications.

Want to Join Us?

We’re looking for a motivated graduate student to dive into this cutting-edge field. Here, you’ll gain skills in:

🚀 Computational modeling & simulations
🛠 Experimental techniques for wave physics
🔍 Analytical methods in topological mechanics

If you’re curious about how we can shape materials to control energy in unprecedented ways, let’s talk!

Recent Publications

Hidden Topology

Edge States with Hidden Topology in Spinner Lattices,
Communications Physics (accepted).
Strain Topological Metamaterials and Revealing Hidden Topology in Higher-Order Coordinates,
Nature Communications 14, 6633, 2023.

Topology & Nonlinearity

Nonlinear Corner States in a Topologically Nontrivial Kagome Lattice,
Physical Review B 110, 104307, 2024.
Dirac Solitons and Topological Edge States in the β-Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou Dimer Lattice,
Physical Review E 108, 054224, 2023.
Nonlinear Topological Edge States: From Dynamic Delocalization to Thermalization,
Physical Review B 105, 104308, 2022.
Stability of Topological Edge States Under Strong Nonlinear Effects,
Physical Review B 103, 024106, 2021.
Self-Induced Topological Transition in Phononic Crystals by Nonlinearity Management,
Physical Review B 100, 014302, 2019.

Topology & Disorder

Topological Phase Transition in a Disordered Elastic Quantum Spin Hall System,
Physical Review B 108, 054205, 2023.
Disorder-Induced Topological Phase Transition in a One-Dimensional Mechanical System,
Physical Review Research 3, 033012, 2021.

Topological Mechanics

Bulk-Edge Correspondence in the Trimer Su-Schrieffer-Heeger Model,
Physical Review B 106, 085109, 2022.
Corner States in a Second-Order Mechanical Topological Insulator,
Communications Materials 2, 1, 2021.
Mechanical Analogue of a Majorana Bound State,
Advanced Materials 31, 1904386, 2019.
Elastic Weyl Points and Surface Arc States in Three-Dimensional Structures,
Physical Review Applied 12, 024058, 2019.
Experimental Demonstration of Topological Waveguiding in an Elastic Plate with Local Resonators,
New Journal of Physics 20, 113036, 2018.
Subwavelength and Directional Control of Flexural Waves in Zone-Folding Induced Topological Plates,
Physical Review B 97, 054307, 2018.
Demonstrating an In Situ Topological Band Transition in Granular Crystals,
Physical Review Letters 119, 024301, 2017.
Stress Wave Isolation by Purely Mechanical Topological Phononic Crystals,
Scientific Reports 6, 30662, 2016.