Topology uncovered in real space

Subjects Electronic properties and materialsTopological matterTwo-dimensional materials There are theoretical predictions that topologically non-trivial states in materials leave tell-tale signs in the spatial structure of their wave functions. These have now been observed in monolayer materials. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe 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: Schematic of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) tip probing a monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides lattice. ReferencesHolbrook, M. et al. Nat. Phys. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03197-4 (2026).Article Google Scholar Călugăru, D. et al. Nat. Phys. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03196-5 (2026).Article Google Scholar Bradlyn, B. et al. Nature 547, 298–305 (2017).Article ADS Google Scholar Po, H. C., Watanabe, H. & Vishwanath, A. Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 126402 (2018).Article ADS Google Scholar Yu, J. et al. npj Quantum Mater. 10, 101 (2025).Article ADS Google Scholar Wang, Y., Wu, H., McCandless, G. T., Chan, J. Y. & Ali, M. N. Nat. Rev. Phys. 5, 635–658 (2023).Article Google Scholar Mesple, F. et al. Nat. Commun. 16, 11478 (2025).Article ADS Google Scholar Ma, D.-S., Yu, K., Li, X.-P., Zhou, X. & Wang, R. Phys. Rev. B 108, L100101 (2023).Article ADS Google Scholar Van Mechelen, T., Bharadwaj, S., Jacob, Z. & Slager, R.-J. Phys. Rev. Res. 4, 023011 (2022).Article Google Scholar Du, J., Li, T., Fan, X., Zhang, Q. & Qiu, C. Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 224301 (2022).Article ADS Google Scholar Download referencesAuthor informationAuthors and AffiliationsDepartment of Physics, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USASathwik BharadwajAuthorsSathwik BharadwajView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorCorrespondence to Sathwik Bharadwaj.Ethics declarations Competing interests The author declares no competing interests. Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleBharadwaj, S. Topology uncovered in real space. Nat. Phys. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03199-2Download citationPublished: 31 March 2026Version of record: 31 March 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03199-2Share 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 Observation of an obstructed atomic band in a transition metal dichalcogenide Dumitru CălugăruYi JiangMiguel M.

Ugeda Nature Physics Article 31 Mar 2026 Real-space imaging of the band topology of transition metal dichalcogenides Madisen HolbrookJulian InghamAbhay N.

Pasupathy Nature Physics Article 31 Mar 2026