“Acoustic Experiments Confirm Topology Persists at Gapless Critical Points” — what this page in the network covers. Two new studies published in Nature provide experimental evidence that topological properties can exist at gapless critical points, a regime previously thought to be off-limits for topological phenomena. Baile Zhang at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Prof. Jianhua Jiang at the University of Science and Technology of China, the research teams used acoustic systems to demonstrate that topological edge states can survive even when the bulk energy gap closes.
Xue-Jia Yu from the Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, served as co-corresponding author on both papers, providing key theoretical guidance. The findings extend the concept of topology from gapped phases to critical points, opening new avenues for robust wave manipulation in acoustics and beyond. This breakthrough could impact the design of novel devices that exploit topological protection without requiring a bandgap, potentially leading to more flexible and resilient acoustic and photonic technologies. This listing links straight to the original page, where the content is available in full.