  We show the existence of strong (anti)correlations between the topological
hot spots and the local values of the trace of the Polyakov loop in $2+1$
flavor QCD with physical quark mass, in the vicinity of the crossover
transition corresponding to the simultaneous restoration of chiral symmetry and
deconfinement. Using sophisticated lattice techniques, we have carefully
identified the topological hot spots using quark zero modes and measured the
short-distance fluctuations of the Polyakov loop about them, showing how the
latter is repelled quite strongly around the peak of the zero modes. Though we
could explain some aspects of these correlations within the instanton-dyon
picture, our work sets the stage for a larger goal towards a systematic study
of the role of different topological species that interact with the Polyakov
loop, establishing the strong connection between topology and confinement.
