Soft topological modes protected by symmetry in rigid mechanical metamaterials

Topological mechanics can realize soft modes in mechanical metamaterials in which the number of degrees of freedom for particle motion is finely balanced by the constraints provided by interparticle interactions. However, solid objects are generally hyperstatic (or overconstrained). Here, we show ho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B 2021-02, Vol.103 (6), p.1, Article L060104
Main Authors: Kedia, Hridesh, Souslov, Anton, Rocklin, D. Zeb
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Metamaterials
Miniaturization
Particle motion
Softness
Symmetry
Topology
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Summary:Topological mechanics can realize soft modes in mechanical metamaterials in which the number of degrees of freedom for particle motion is finely balanced by the constraints provided by interparticle interactions. However, solid objects are generally hyperstatic (or overconstrained). Here, we show how symmetries may be applied to generate topological soft modes even in overconstrained, rigid systems. To do so, we consider non-Hermitian topology based on nonsquare matrices, and design a hyperstatic material in which low-energy modes protected by topology and symmetry appear at interfaces. Our approach presents a novel way of generating softness in robust scale-free architectures suitable for miniaturization to the nanoscale.
ISSN:2469-9950
2469-9969
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.103.L060104