Topological Physics

Topological insulator

From the Brumfiel piece below:

They were originally termed "novel Z2 topological invariants" by Kane, in reference to the quantum-mechanical properties that cause the electrons to skip along the edge. "We got tired of typing that out, so we called it a 'topological insulator'," says Moore. "I don't know that that term is particularly explanatory, but at least it's short."

Links

• Perspective by Kane & Mele.
• News feature by Geoff Brumfiel.
• article by drorzel on scienceblogs (with further links).