Research

WPI-SKCM² probes the fundamental laws of nature at scales from its smallest building blocks to the entire Universe through the lens of our research paradigm called “knotted chiral meta matter” (KCM²). KCM² is not a branch of math, physics, chemistry, biology, earth and planetary science, material science, or engineering but rather is an intrinsically interdisciplinary mixture of these, a pursuit in which progress is made simultaneously in the context of all these fields. 

We focus on artificially reproducing physical phenomena and creating highly desirable material properties in condensed matter systems like liquid crystals (LCs), colloids, magnets, and (bio)polymers.  We then are able to generalize the findings and provide insights into related phenomena in experimentally less-accessible systems like black holes, elementary particles, and the origins of life in the pre-biotic world using mathematical concepts, like the ones of knot and homotopy theories.  Conversely, our work in subatomic physics and cosmology inspires us to deepen our understanding of condensed matter systems.