Topology and physics: a historical overview
David S. Simon · 2021
Topology is the study of properties of systems that remain unchanged as the system is continuously bent, twisted, or otherwise deformed. Over the past century, topology has come to be recognized as being of central importance in physics. In this chapter, a brief overview is given of the role that topology plays in physics, including a survey of the proliferation of topological applications that have arisen in optics in recent decades.