Waves of Topological Origin in Earth’s Atmosphere and Beyond

Naturalist John Muir wrote, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” There’s no better illustration of Muir’s observation than the fluid Earth system.

In this Presidential Lecture, Brad Marston will discuss a surprising connection recently discovered between the atmosphere and quantum physics. Observations of the stratosphere reveal non-trivial topology, providing us with a new perspective on the origin of certain waves that travel around the equator and drive oscillations in the climate. The atmospheres of other worlds, he says, may likewise be viewed as topological insulators.

Marston is a professor of physics at Brown University and director of the Brown Theoretical Physics Center. He serves as vice president of the American Physical Society and will become its president in 2026. Trained in quantum matter physics, Marston also works on the statistical modeling of turbulence, geophysical fluid dynamics and climate physics. In his spare time, he backpacks long distances and maintains trails.