AI Insight
Researchers have demonstrated reversible electric control of chiral phonons, which are collective lattice vibrations in materials that rotate in a specific direction. The study builds on 2023 experimental proof of chiral phonon existence at PSI and shows these rotational atomic movements can be electrically switched and maintained in persistent states. This represents a breakthrough in manipulating the handedness of phonon rotation through external electric fields.
Why it matters
Electric control of chiral phonons could enable new technologies for information processing and storage based on the rotational properties of atomic vibrations. The reversibility and persistence of these states suggests potential applications in quantum computing, spintronics, and novel electronic devices that exploit phonon chirality.
Understand the Science
Atoms in a material are rarely still. They jiggle back and forth in collective lattice vibrations known as phonons. Their motion can also carry a rotational element: In 2023, scientists at PSI experimentally proved the existence of chiral phonons, which exhibit handedness depending on which way they rotate.
Source: Reversible electric control unlocks persistent chiral phonon states