EUTOPIA-1: First meeting of the European Topology interdisciplinary Initiative

The physical properties of many systems often crucially depend on those global features that cannot be ascribed to a particular geometry or arrangement, rather to a more abstract notion: topology. The latter manifests itself in the knotted state of proteins and artificial polymers, the intertwining among DNA rings, or the topologically distinct classes of defect lines that can be found in liquid crystals. A better understanding of the interplay between a system’s topological state, its three-dimensional structure, and its overall characteristics paves the way to an improved control of relevant natural molecules or human-made materials, with remarkable impact on fundamental science as well as high-tech applications. The aim of this meeting is to kick-off the scientific activity of the recently established European Topology Interdisciplinary Action (EUTOPIA COST Action) which gathers scientists from 22 different European countries and from fields ranging from mathematics to biology, physics and chemistry.

Main Topics (working groups):

• WG1: Theory of topological entanglement in polymers and fibres.
• WG2: Polymeric and fibrous topological materials
• WG3: Entangled and self-entangled proteins
• WG4: DNA, chromosomes, and other entangled genetic material
• WG5: Topologically complex fluids