Phys.org  July 1, 2024 Topological insulators are known to exist in one (wire), two (sheet) and three (cube) dimensions; all with different possible applications in electronic devices. An international team of researchers (the Netherlands, China, Sweden) discovered that topological insulators may also exist at 1.58 dimensions, and that these could be used for energy-efficient information processing. They demonstrated that topological edge and corner modes arise in fractals formed upon depositing thin layers of bismuth on an indium antimonide substrate. Their scanning tunnelling microscopy results and theoretical calculations revealed the appearance and stability of nearly zero-energy modes at the corners of […]