joselado/pyqula

Pyqula occupies a specific niche in computational condensed matter physics. With 128 stars and 38 forks, it has respectable traction for a highly specialized scientific tool. Its defensibility stems from the domain expertise required to correctly implement complex physical observables like Z2 invariants, Chern numbers, and mean-field Hubbard solvers—features often missing in more generalized libraries. It competes with established tools like Kwant (TU Delft) and PythTB, but distinguishes itself by focusing on the intersection of topology and many-body effects. Frontier labs are unlikely to target this specific niche as it is too academic and domain-specific. The main risk is the stagnation of development (velocity is currently low) and the potential for a larger project like Kwant or the Atomic Simulation Environment (ASE) to absorb these specialized features. The displacement horizon is long because researchers rarely switch simulation frameworks once their workflows are established around a specific API.