Amorphous topological matter: theory and experiment

Abstract

Topological phases of matter are ubiquitous in crystals, but less is known about their existence in amorphous systems, that lack long-range order. In this perspective, we review the recent progress made on theoretically defining amorphous topological phases and the new phenomenology that they can open. We revisit key experiments suggesting that amorphous topological phases exist in both solid-state and synthetic amorphous systems. We finish by discussing the open questions in the field, that promises to significantly enlarge the set of materials and synthetic systems benefiting from the robustness of topological matter.