Topologically Linked Crystals

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a new class of topological crystals, specifically linked rings of TaSe3, exhibiting Hopf link topology that is not explained by traditional crystallography.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of topological crystals with linked ring structures, expanding the understanding of crystal topology beyond conventional crystallography.

Findings

Linked rings of TaSe3 crystals were observed during growth.

The crystal topology is identified as a Hopf link, a novel topological feature.

This topology is not explained by traditional crystallography methods.

Abstract

We discovered a new class of topological crystals, namely linked rings of crystals. Two rings of tantalum triselenide (TaSe3) single crystals were linked to each other while crystal growing. The topology of the crystal form is called a "Hopf link", which is the simplest link involving just two component unknots linked together exactly once. The feature of the crystals is not covered by the conventional crystallography.