“But now we are building materials in the synthetic dimension, or 4D, which allows us to manipulate the energy wave path to go exactly where we want it to go as it travels from one corner of a material to another,” explained Huang.. Still, it may also have implications in creating safer engineering solutions for earthquake-prone areas.This new metamaterial was developed using a field of mathematics known as topology. This branch is concerned with examining shapes and their arrangement in space.
This research used the topological pumping effect, which according to the study, “allows waves to navigate a sample undisturbed by disorders and defects.” Topological pumping has the potential to enhance quantum mechanics and quantum computing by enabling the creation of higher-dimension quantum-mechanical phenomena.
The material might also be utilized to develop technical solutions for earthquake-resistant structures. “Most of the energy — 90 percent — from an earthquake happens along the surface of the Earth. Therefore, by covering a pillow-like structure in this material and placing it on the Earth’s surface underneath a building, it could potentially help keep the structure from collapsing during an earthquake,” Huang.Topological pumping allows waves to navigate a sample undisturbed by disorders and defects.