Yanning Li | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Charge-conserving creation and annihilation of topological phase singularities in atomically thin semiconductors

Atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides provide a promising material platform for optical phase manipulation, as rapid variations in their dielectric functions can give rise to topological phase singularities (PSs). However, PS evolution while preserving topological charge conservation has not yet been investigated in exciton enabled PS systems. Here, using atomically thin MoS2 films on sapphire as a model system, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that the evolution of dielectric dispersion determines the creation, trajectory, merging, and annihilation of optical PSs under topological charge conservation. By varying the MoS2 film thickness, we experimentally realize this evolution through the gradual shrinking of the high energy n-k dispersion loop, which modifies its intersection with the zero reflection condition. Our results provide a general strategy for exploring and manipulating topological optical states.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

A convex formulation of traffic dynamics on transportation networks

This article proposes a numerical scheme for computing the evolution of vehicular traffic on a road network over a finite time horizon. The traffic dynamics on each link is modeled by the Hamilton-Jacobi (HJ) partial differential equation (PDE), which is an equivalent form of the Lighthill-Whitham-Richards PDE. The main contribution of this article is the construction of a single convex optimization program which computes the traffic flow at a junction over a finite time horizon and decouples the PDEs on connecting links. Compared to discretization schemes which require the computation of all traffic states on a time-space grid, the proposed convex optimization approach computes the boundary flows at the junction using only the initial condition on links and the boundary conditions of the network. The computed boundary flows at the junction specify the boundary condition for the HJ PDE on connecting links, which then can be separately solved using an existing semi-explicit scheme for single link HJ PDE. As demonstrated in a numerical example of ramp metering control, the proposed convex optimization approach also provides a natural framework for optimal traffic control applications.

physics.soc-ph↗