> British trio win Nobel prize in physics 2016 for work on exotic states of matter
> Prize to be shared by David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz...
> ...in the field of condensed matter physics. They discovered totally unexpected behaviours of solid materials - and came up with a mathematical framework (in the field of topology) to explain these weird properties. The discoveries have paved the way for designing new materials with all sorts of novel properties.
> Topology, which was central to this year’s discoveries, explains why electrical conductivity inside thin layers changes in integer steps. Kosterlitz and Thouless studied the electrical behaviour of surfaces or inside extremely thin layers (physicists call these two-dimensional materials). Haldane studied matter that forms threads so thin they can be considered one-dimensional.
> British trio win Nobel prize in physics 2016 for work on exotic states of matter
> Prize to be shared by David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz...
> ...in the field of condensed matter physics. They discovered totally unexpected behaviours of solid materials - and came up with a mathematical framework (in the field of topology) to explain these weird properties. The discoveries have paved the way for designing new materials with all sorts of novel properties.
> Topology, which was central to this year’s discoveries, explains why electrical conductivity inside thin layers changes in integer steps. Kosterlitz and Thouless studied the electrical behaviour of surfaces or inside extremely thin layers (physicists call these two-dimensional materials). Haldane studied matter that forms threads so thin they can be considered one-dimensional.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2016/oct/04/nobel-p...
Perhaps this will open up new ways to build microprocessors and other semiconductor electronics?
There's a live stream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qpoBG5hy-A