Exploring topological phase transition and Weyl physics in five dimensions with electric circuits
Xingen Zheng, Tian Chen, Weixuan Zhang, Houjun Sun, Xiangdong Zhang
Abstract
Weyl semimetals are phases of matter with gapless electronic excitations that are protected by topology and symmetry. Their properties depend on the dimensions of the systems. It has been theoretically demonstrated that five-dimensional (5D) Weyl semimetals emerge as novel phases during the topological phase transition in analogy to the three-dimensional case. However, experimental observation of such a phenomenon remains a great challenge because the tunable 5D system is extremely hard to construct in real space. Here, we construct 5D electric circuit platforms in fully real space and experimentally observe topological phase transitions in five dimensions. Not only are Yang monopoles and linked Weyl surfaces observed experimentally, but various phase transitions in five dimensions are also proved, such as the phase transitions from a normal insulator to a Hopf link of two Weyl surfaces and then to a 5D topological insulator. The demonstrated topological phase transitions in five dimensions leverage the concept of higher-dimensional Weyl physics to control electrical signals in the engineered circuits.