Statistical Topology—Distribution and Density Correlations of Winding Numbers in Chiral Systems

Statistical Topology emerged since topological aspects continue to gain importance in many areas of physics. It is most desirable to study topological invariants and their statistics in schematic models that facilitate the identification of universalities. Here, the statistics of winding numbers and of winding number densities are addressed. An introduction is given for readers with little background knowledge. Results that my collaborators and I obtained in two recent works on proper random matrix models are reviewed, avoiding a technically detailed discussion. A special focus is on the mapping of topological problems to spectral ones as well as on the first glimpse on universality.
Review article, dedicated to Giulio Casati on the occasion of his 80th birthday