Search arXiv⌕ Search

arXiv · 2609.32575

Phonon angular momentum transfer torque

Abstract

Angular momentum in solids is carried by (quasi)particles such as magnons, plasmons, and phonons, and coupling between these reservoirs enables diverse hybrid phenomena. Here, we introduce the transfer of angular momentum from lattice vibrations to magnetic order through the phonon angular momentum transfer torque (PAMTT), generated by a polarized phonon bath. We identify thermal routes for generating phonon angular momentum: a phonon Edelstein accumulation in noncentrosymmetric crystals and temperature-gradient-induced PAM currents with longitudinal Seebeck-like and transverse Hall components. Using realistic order-of-magnitude estimates, we find that PAMTT could produce measurable ferromagnetic-resonance frequency shifts and, for favorable interfacial coupling, drive magnetization reversal on nanosecond timescales.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Verena Brehm, Daniel A. Bustamante Lopez, Shu Zhang, Dominik Juraschek. 2026-09-26. Phonon angular momentum transfer torque. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.32575

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Microscopic Understanding of Thermal-magnon Transport in Low-damping Ferrimagnetic Thin Films

Thermally generated magnons enable heat-driven spin transport in magnetic insulators, yet the relative importance of multiple microscopic mechanisms governing their propagation remains incompletely understood. Here, we investigate thermal magnon transport in low-damping Li$_{0.5}$Al$_{1.0}$Fe$_{1.5}$O$_4$/Pt nanodevices using a nonlocal spin Seebeck geometry that separates magnon transport from local thermoelectric effects. Thermal imaging establishes a detector region outside the thermal healing length, enabling intrinsic nonlocal measurements. We find that thermal magnon transport is strongly suppressed by magnetic fields far above saturation, and further that thermal magnon transport decreases with increasing temperature despite an increasing magnon population. Brillouin light scattering reveals the key microscopic mechanism driving this effect: increasing field reduces the group velocity of backward volume magnons, directly reducing the magnon spin diffusion length. Micromagnetic simulations reproduce this behavior only when a temperature-dependent exchange stiffness is included. These results identify magnon group velocity and exchange stiffness as key parameters governing thermal magnon transport in ferrimagnetic thin films.

cond-mat.other↗

Physics-based logarithmic description of electrostatic field enhancement in hemisphere-on-cylindrical-post structures for high-field applications

Electrostatic (ES) field enhancement at sharp conducting structures plays a central role in lightning protection, corona discharge, electrical breakdown in vacuum (for example in particle accelerators), and more generally in technological applications of field electron emitters. A canonical geometry for studying this ES effect is the hemisphere-on-cylindrical-post (HCP) model, in the regime where the structure stands on a planar conductor of large lateral extent, and a large gap exists between the structure and the counter-electrode. A parameter of major interest is the apex field enhancement factor (AFEF) (apex-ES-field/background-ES-field). For this (and other) structures, a formula for the AFEF can be written in the form AFEF = ASC x ASR, where the apex sharpness ratio (ASR) is given by the ratio (post-height/apex-radius-of-curvature), and the apex sharpness coefficient (ASC) depends on the post shape. For the HCP model, no exact analytical formulas for the ASC or the AFEF are currently known. (Quite possibly none exist.) This paper develops a compact analytical approximation for the ASC and hence for the AFEF. This compact formula has a logarithmic-style structure, rather than the power-style structure used in previous approximations. When compared with precise finite-element analyses of the HCP model, over the computationally accessible range 1 to 1000 for the ASR, this logarithmic-style formula has a maximum error-magnitude of 0.15 percent, which is significantly better than older approximations.

cond-mat.other↗

Non-Uniform Quantum Well and Barrier Thickness Engineering for Robust Ultra-High TER and Low RA Ferroelectric Tunnel Junctions

HfO$_2$-based ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) are promising candidates for scalable non-volatile memory, but simultaneously achieving a high tunneling electro-resistance ratio (TER) and a low resistance-area (RA) product remains challenging. To address this challenge, this work introduces non-uniform quantum well (QW) and barrier thickness engineering in HfO$_2$-based multi-QW FTJs using a self-consistent Preisach-based ferroelectric (FE) model integrated with the coherent and inelastic non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formalism. The non-uniform well and barrier configuration produces a wide range of FTJ design landscapes due to closely spaced, broad resonant states in the low resistance state (LRS) and a larger separation in the high resistance state (HRS), resulting in strong polarization-dependent resonant transmission with TER reaching the order of $\mathbf{1\times10^{8}\%}$ and an LRS RA product as low as $\mathbf{1~Ω\cdot\mathrm{cm}^{2}}$ at read bias and in the presence of scattering. By incorporating self-consistent elastic scattering into the NEGF framework, we also show that elastic scattering can positively influence the TER and RA performance of non-uniform FTJs by progressively increasing the overlap of the closely spaced resonances. Overall, the results establish non-uniform QW and barrier thickness as an effective and robust design parameter for controlling resonant-state alignment and achieving a favorable combination of high TER and low RA in HfO$_2$-based multi-QW FTJs.

cond-mat.other↗