Elastic Surface Instability as a Topological Phase Transition (opens in new tab)

The macroscopic instability of soft materials undergoing extreme deformations is traditionally viewed as a pure structural or mechanical failure. Driven by the quest to uncover universal principles across disparate physical systems, we bridge two vibrant yet seemingly disconnected research frontiers: macroscopic finite-strain solid mechanics and quantum-like topological physics. Here, we demonstrate that the classical elastic surface instabili...