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  • Open Access

Racetrack Computing with a Topological Boundary Ratchet

Parisa Omidvar1, Markus Bestler2, Sima Zahedi Fard1, Oded Zilberberg2,*, and Marc Serra-Garcia1,†

  • *Contact author: oded.zilberberg@uni-konstanz.de
  • †Contact author: m.serragarcia@amolf.nl
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 166601 – Published 21 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jw9p-s3kk

Abstract

Multistable order parameters provide a natural means of encoding nonvolatile information in spatial domains, a concept that forms the foundation of magnetic memory devices. However, this stability inherently conflicts with the need to move information around the device for processing and readout. While in magnetic systems, domains can be transported using currents or external fields, mechanisms to robustly shuttle information-bearing domains across neutral systems are scarce. Here, we experimentally realize a topological boundary ratchet in an elastic metamaterial, where digital information is encoded in buckling domains and transported in a quantized manner via cyclic loading. The transport is topological in origin: neighboring domains act as different topological pumps for their Bogoliubov excitations, so their interface hosts topological boundary modes. Cyclic loading renders these modes unstable through interdomain pressure, which in turn drives the motion of the domain wall. We demonstrate that the direction of information propagation can be controlled through adjustable mechanical constraints on the buckling beams, and numerically investigate buckling-based domain-wall logic circuits in an elastic metamaterial network. The underlying tight-binding structure with low-order nonlinearities makes this approach a general pathway toward racetrack memories in neutral systems.

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Corrections

16 June, 2026

Correction: A metadata correction to the third author’s name has been made.

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Supplemental Material

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 166601– Published 21 April, 2026
  • Received 30 September 2025
  • Revised 10 February 2026
  • Accepted 9 March 2026
  • Corrected 16 June 2026
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