Topology is the study of shapes and spaces that don’t change even if they are stretched, twisted, or deformed—without cutting or gluing.
“An everyday example of topology is the Möbius strip—a simple yet mind-bending object. Amazingly, no matter how you try to manipulate the strip, you cannot untwist it back into a normal loop without tearing it apart,” the study authors note.
A material exhibiting topology is of great importance because it has the uncanny ability to remain unaffected by external factors. Such a material can demonstrate robust quantum behavior, as its quantum states in such material are immune to small disturbances.