Four-dimensional conserved topological charge vectors in plasmonic quasicrystals

February 7, 2025 / Andy Steinmann

Researchers in Stuttgart discovered a mysterious pattern while investigating electron oscillations on a gold surface. In collaboration with Israeli physicists from the Technion and physicists from the University of Duisburg-Essen, they discovered that its symmetry is concealed in a higher spatial dimension.

Projection of a four-dimensional, regular crystal onto a two-dimensional plane. A five-fold quasi-crystalline symmetry emerges.
Image: Florian Sterl, Sterltech Optics
Four-dimensional cube (so-called tesseract) on a gold surface with five-fold symmetry. The quasi-crystalline two-dimensional plasmon pattern can be recognized under the tesseract. The image represents the projection of a four-dimensional regular cube onto a quasi-crystalline two-dimensional plane.
Image: Florian Sterl, Sterltech Optics
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