Anomalous phonon magnetic moments
Abstract
Circularly polarized phonons conventionally carry an angular momentum and a magnetic moment arising from circular motions of the atoms. Here, we present three anomalous cases that lead to phonon magnetic moments, which cannot be described in the conventional framework: , which exhibit magnetic responses despite only carrying pseudoangular momentum, , in which a magnetic moment is produced despite vanishing angular momentum, and , which make the phonon angular momentum and magnetic moment noncollinear. Our results shed light on the origin and nature of phonon magnetism and suggest the existence of phononomagnetic hidden order.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Topological Materials and Phenomena
Rare-earth and actinide compounds
Chemical and Physical Properties of Materials
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical Review Research
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 2
- Publication date
- 1 March 2026
- Language
- EN