2025/07/27 by Tingting Wang, Wang, Tingting, Jun Zhou +5
Physics and Astronomy · #Crystallography and Radiation Phenomena #Inelastic neutron scattering #Inelastic scattering #Neutron scattering #Nuclear Physics and Applications #Phonon #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Quasielastic neutron scattering #Small-angle neutron scattering
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/nmdy-9tkl
openalex publication_date 2026/05/08 · openalex created_date 2026/05/09 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Chiral phonons have attracted significant attention due to their potential applications in spintronics, superconductivity, and advanced materials, but their detection has predominantly relied on indirect photon-involved processes. Here, we propose inelastic neutron scattering (INS) as a direct and versatile approach for chiral phonon detection over a broad momentum-energy space. Leveraging INS sensitivity to phonon eigenmodes, we clearly distinguish linear, elliptical, and chiral phonons and determine phonon handedness through angle-resolved measurements. Using right-handed tellurium (Te) as a model system, we identify characteristic INS fingerprints that clearly separate chiral from linear phonons. Moreover, we show that INS can directly access phonon magnetic moments and the effective magnetic fields generated by chiral phonons, as evidenced by the pronounced mode splitting in CeF3. Collectively, these results position INS as a powerful platform for comprehensive investigations of chiral-phonon dynamics and their associated quantum phenomena.