Non-reciprocal topological solitons in active metamaterials.

From protein motifs to black holes, topological solitons are pervasive nonlinear excitations that are robust and can be driven by external fields. So far, existing driving mechanisms all accelerate solitons and antisolitons in opposite directions. Here we introduce a local driving mechanism for solitons that accelerates both solitons and antisolitons in the same direction instead: non-reciprocal driving.