Abstract
The classification of topological insulators predicts the existence of high-dimensional topological phases that cannot occur in real materials, as these are limited to three or fewer spatial dimensions. We use electric circuits to experimentally implement a four-dimensional (4D) topological lattice. The lattice dimensionality is established by circuit connections, and not by mapping to a lower-dimensional system. On the lattice’s three-dimensional surface, we observe topological surface states that are associated with a nonzero second Chern number but vanishing first Chern numbers. The 4D lattice belongs to symmetry class AI, which refers to time-reversal-invariant and spinless systems with no special spatial symmetry. Class AI is topologically trivial in one to three spatial dimensions, so 4D is the lowest possible dimension for achieving a topological insulator in this class. This work paves the way to the use of electric circuits for exploring high-dimensional topological models.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 2356 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Nature Communications |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 12 May 2020 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Physics and Astronomy(all)