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Updated: Jan 9, 2026

High Resolution Phonon-assisted Quasi-resonance Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Published on: June 28, 2016
Chiral phonons in polar LiNbO3.
Hiroki Ueda1, Abhishek Nag2,3, Carl P Romao4,5
1Center for Photon Science, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland. hiroki.ueda@psi.ch.
Chiral phonons, carrying angular momentum, were directly observed in lithium niobate crystals. This discovery enables electrical control over phonon chirality and angular momentum for novel applications in chiral phononics.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Solid-State Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Quasiparticles are collective excitations crucial for understanding material properties.
- Chirality is an emerging degree of freedom in condensed matter, enabling novel phenomena.
- Chiral phonons possess angular momentum, breaking time-reversal symmetry and linking spin and lattice dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To directly demonstrate the existence of chiral phonons in a material.
- To investigate the electrical control of phonon chirality in ferroelectric materials.
- To explore the potential of chiral phononics and phonon angular momentum control.
Main Methods:
- Experimental proof of chiral phonons.
- Utilizing a prototypical polar lithium niobate (LiNbO3) crystal.
- Demonstrating in-situ electrical control over phonon properties.
Main Results:
- Direct evidence for chiral phonons was obtained.
- Electrical control of momentum-dependent "magnetic" polarization was achieved.
- Reversible control of phonon handedness was demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- Chiral phonons are present in ferroelectric materials like LiNbO3.
- Ferroic control of phonon chirality offers new avenues for manipulating lattice dynamics.
- This work lays the foundation for the emerging field of chiral phononics.
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