Art. 07 – Vol. 26 – No. 4 – 2016

THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR PHYSICS, 2016

Roman Chirilă
roman.chirila@ici.ro
National Institute for Research & Development in Informatics, ICI Bucharest

Abstract: Three British scientists have won the Nobel prize in physics for their work on exotic states of matter that may pave the way for quantum computers and other revolutionary technologies. The researchers were credited for their theoretical work on “topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter”. Together, their discoveries transformed how scientists think about materials. They have used advanced mathematical methods to study unusual phases, or states, of matter, such as superconductors, superfluids or thin magnetic films. This paper is a short prezentation of the topological concepts used for the topological materials that could be used in new generations of electronics and superconductors, or in future quantum computers.

Keywords: KT transition, quantum Hall effect, Chern insulator, topological band theory.

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