Chern-Simons theory is a topological quantum field theory set in three dimensions that has profoundly influenced our understanding of gauge theories and topology. Its formulation, which emphasises ...

Receive emails about upcoming NOVA programs and related content, as well as featured reporting about current events through a science lens. Kelvin’s idea was inspired by the work of Hermann Helmholtz, ...

Magnetic vortex structures, so-called skyrmions, could in future store and process information very efficiently. They could also be the basis for high-frequency components. For the first time, a team ...

Most would agree that late winter is the worst for driving. The weather is unpredictable and the roads are riddled with bumps and potholes. It turns out when NASCAR races on Atlanta’s heavily-worn ...

Center vortices are fundamental topological configurations in Yang–Mills theory believed to encapsulate key aspects of the non‐perturbative QCD vacuum. In this framework, vortices appear as closed, ...

University of Chicago physicists have succeeded in creating a vortex knot—a feat akin to tying a smoke ring into a knot. Linked and knotted vortex loops have existed in theory for more than a century, ...

Researchers have new insight about the formation of vortices in a type of quantum fluid, work that could help our comprehension of the physics mystery of how vortex clusters form and provide valuable ...