Physical Review Letters· 2026Q1
Theory of phonon angular momentum transport across a smooth crystal interface
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A new theoretical framework explains phonon angular momentum transfer across smooth crystal interfaces, revealing that thermal gradients in chiral crystals can induce angular momentum diffusion into achiral crystals, even without heat flow.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Developed a theoretical framework for phonon angular momentum transport across smooth crystal interfaces.
- Utilized reformulated boundary conditions and Boltzmann theory to analyze the process.
- Showed that thermal gradients in chiral crystals induce angular momentum diffusion into achiral crystals, even without heat flow.
- Identified potential enhancement of angular momentum density near interfaces due to chirality-induced population imbalances.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
We theoretically elucidate the transfer of phonon angular momentum by acoustic modes across a smooth interface between crystals. We analyze this process, which is difficult to describe with the conventional acoustic mismatch model, using a reformulated boundary condition and the Boltzmann theory. For an interface between a chiral and an achiral crystal, our analysis reveals that thermal gradients in the chiral crystal induce angular momentum, which diffuses into the achiral crystal even without heat flow. Notably, within an approximation retaining the chirality-induced population imbalance, the density of angular momentum can be enhanced near the interface. These findings advance our understanding of phonon transport and its interplay with electron spins.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Physical Review Letters, 2026 · DOI ↗
Continue with a free account
Ask the paper: 3 free questions a day about this paper; save it, get its citation, new summaries every day for your field. Takeaways are Premium.
Continue free on the webSign in with Google or Apple; no card needed. You come back to this paper.
On your phone:
Field: Materials Chemistry
Materials ChemistryMaterials Science