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Working Group 3 Workshop on

3d Topological Textures at Surfaces and Interfaces

11-12 December 2025, Karlsruhe, Germany

Deadlines

  • Wednesday, November 12 , 2025:
    Online pre- registration.
    The number of participants is limited - please apply as early as possible to secure your place.
  • Friday, November 14, 2025:
    Notification regarding participation, abstract acceptance.
    Invitations to be sent via the e-COST platform.
  • Wednesday November 19, 2025:
    Finalization of the participant list.
  • Friday, November 21, 2025:
    Final program published on the website.
Apply now

Scope

In 3d space, a large variety of topological textures and defects may exist. These include genuinely 3d textures such as hopfions or Bloch points. Moreover, 3d extensions of lower-dimensional textures and defects comprise, for example, 2d skyrmions becoming skyrmion strings or 2d vortices becoming vortex lines. These 3d extensions benefit from the additional dimension and may form new superstructures or disclose new dynamics. Surfaces and interfaces, natural or engineered, alter the energetic landscape and can act as stabilizing anchor points for 3d textures or as catalysts in the creation process of these.

In this workshop, we discuss
(i) the role of surfaces and interfaces in distinct condensed matter systems, and how they enable or hinder the stabilization or creation of 3d topological textures and
(ii) the derivation, implementation, and validation of boundary conditions at surfaces or interfaces.

Scope

Program

The Workshop will take place over two days, from Thursday, 11 December to Friday, 12 December 2025.

The event will open on Thursday at 12:00 with a welcome session and organizational announcements, followed by a lunch break. The afternoon will include several scientific sessions with presentations (to be announced), interspersed with a coffee break and poster discussions at 15:30. Later in the day, participants will take part in a hands-on and benchmarking session at 16:45, providing an opportunity to test their codes, share insights, and discuss implementations and poster contributions.

On Friday, the program will begin at 09:00 with additional presentations (tba) and continue with a coffee and poster session at 10:00. The morning will again feature a discussion and benchmarking session focused on code testing and collaborative problem solving, concluding with closing remarks at 11:45. The workshop will officially end at 12:00.

Program

Meeting Venue

The workshop will be held at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Karlsruhe:

Day 1:
Gastdozentenhaus des KIT (guest house)
Engesserstr. 3
76131 Karlsruhe

Day2:
Seminar room 111
Building 10.11
KIT

Venues

Important notes

  • Registration Fee

    There is no registration fee. Participation includes access to all sessions and coffee breaks.

  • Personal Arrangements

    Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel and accommodation. A limited number of hotel rooms have been reserved by the organizers. Please indicate in your application whether you would like to make use of this opportunity. We recommend booking well in advance.

  • Entry Requirements

    Participants should independently ensure they meet entry requirements for Germany. For general European Union entry guidelines, visit this link. 

  • Budget Allocation

    The available budget will be allocated in accordance with the COST Excellence and Inclusiveness Policy.

  • Notification of Support

    Decisions regarding COST support will be communicated to participants well in advance of the meeting to allow sufficient time for travel arrangements.

  • Travel Reimbursement and Daily Allowance

    The maximum reimbursement for long-distance travel and the daily allowance rate, as specified in the Annotated Rules of the COST Action (as per 01.11.2025), may be adjusted following a decision by the Management Committee.
    Did you receive an invitation through e-COST to participate in the working group meeting on December 10-11 in Karlsruhe? Does your invitation indicate that you are eligible for financial support? Read here the procedure to follow!

Important notes

Organisers

  • Jan Masell, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) & RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science
  • Markus Garst, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
  • Michele Ruggeri, University of Bologna
  • Claire Donnelly, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids

Speakers

to be announced.... 

Organising Committee