Topology from disorder

Topological phases of matter have long been studied in idealized pure states at absolute zero. Two experiments now show how controlled disorder can give mixed states measurable topological features in quantum simulators. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per year only $21.58 per issue Learn more Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Learn more Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Fig. 1: Emergence of topology and topological phase boundaries in disordered quantum simulators. Subjects Quantum simulation Topological matter Ultracold gases Sensory Ethnography in Urban Anthropology ReferencesYue, Z. et al. Nat. Phys. 22, 844–850 (2026).Article Google Scholar Su, L. et al. Nat. Phys. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03381-6 (2026).Article Google Scholar Senthil, T. Annu. Rev. Condens. Matter Phys. 6, 299–324 (2015).Article ADS Google Scholar Chen, X., Gu, Z.-C., Liu, Z.-X. & Wen, X.-G. Science 338, 1604–1606 (2012).Article ADS Google Scholar Ma, R. & Wang, C. Phys. Rev. X. 13, 031016 (2023).

Google Scholar Preskill, J. Quantum 2, 79 (2018).Article Google Scholar Google Quantum AI and Collaborators. Nature 638, 920–926 (2025).Article ADS Google Scholar Evered, S. J. et al. Nature 645, 341–347 (2025).Article ADS Google Scholar Braun, C. et al. Nat. Phys. 20, 1306–1312 (2024).Article Google Scholar Yao, R. et al. Nat. Phys. 20, 1726–1731 (2024).Article Google Scholar Download referencesAuthor informationAuthors and AffiliationsDepartment of Physics, MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms, and Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USAJens Hertkorn & Botond OregAuthorsJens HertkornView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarBotond OregView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorCorrespondence to Jens Hertkorn.Ethics declarations Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleHertkorn, J., Oreg, B. Topology from disorder. Nat. Phys. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03459-1Download citationPublished: 28 September 2026Version of record: 28 September 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03459-1Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative Average topological phase in a disordered Rydberg atom array Zongpei YueYu-Feng MaoLi You Nature Physics Article 20 Apr 2026 Topological phase transitions and mixed-state order in a Hubbard quantum simulator Lin SuRahul SahayMarkus Greiner Nature Physics Article 27 Jul 2026