Nonlinear conduction via solitons in a topological mechanical insulator

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 111; no. 36; pp. 13004 - 13009
• Main Authors: Chen, Bryan Gin-ge, Upadhyaya, Nitin, Vitelli, Vincenzo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 09.09.2014; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Design; Design engineering; Domain walls; Electric Conductivity; Fabrication; Ground state; Kinetics; Mathematical lattices; Mathematical models; Mechanical Phenomena; Models, Theoretical; Nanomaterials; Nonlinear Dynamics; Origami; Phonons; Physical Sciences; Prototypes; Quantum mechanics; Robotics; robots; rotors; Solitary waves; Solitons; Topological manifolds; Topology; origami; active matter; topological matter; jamming; isostaticity

Significance Mechanisms are zero-energy motions that are key to the operation of mechanical devices, from windshield wipers to robotic arms. We built and studied chain-like mechanisms of coupled rigid rotors that are topologically protected, which means that they are not affected by smooth changes i...