5/17/2026 at 3:54:06 AM
From Wikipedia:> The Half-Möbius electronic topology is a form of quantum topology in molecular science in which the π-orbital basis of a cyclic molecule undergoes a 90-degree phase twist per revolution around the ring, requiring four complete circuits to return to its starting phase. This is distinct from both the topologically trivial (Hückel) case, in which no net twist occurs, and the classical Möbius case, in which the orbital undergoes a 180-degree half-twist per loop.
I choose to believe that Hückel was not the one who characterized or discovered the trivial case, but instead a disliked graduate student who was once insulted at a party as "emotionally, intellectually, and topologically trivial", and it just cascaded from there into naming things after him.
Don't try to convince me otherwise.
by addaon
5/17/2026 at 6:42:06 AM
https://research.ibm.com/blog/half-mobius-moleculedescribes the quantum-software-hardware co-design concept IBM is selling with that paper
It took my pea brain a while.. is this a joke or meant to teach something.. & I still don't get it.
Is the punch line "this is the first paper to name the concept Hueckel-orbitals", even planting their flag on Wikipedia to piss on a dead man?
That's a deep dismissal of Leo Gross
On the other hand, from these guys. I first learnt about Dyson orbitals, which are exactly the long-ranged blobs seen under the scanning tunneljng microscope! That was obvious in retrospect (for someone who has familiarity), so luckily all of us didn't get an urge to name the atom-sized unentangled NPC blobs you sometimes dont see in the STM after some grad student.
I am glad trivial--- for the sense of trivial that Leo Gross might think is different--- orbitals are named after nobody at all. and aptly has not one Wikipedia mention.
by vi_sextus_vi
5/17/2026 at 11:49:16 PM
PP was just making a dumb joke. The Hückel topology is topologically trivial but chemically interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6bius%E2%80%93H%C3%BCcke...by lupire