arXiv subjects

Dominik M. Juraschek

Publications and source records attributed to Dominik M. Juraschek.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Precessional modes of phonon angular momentum

Magnons are collective precessional excitations of electron spins and are ubiquitous in emerging information technologies. Here, we show that the crystal lattice can support an analogous precessional mode of phonon angular momentum. Superposition of a circularly polarized phonon and a linearly polarized phonon normal to the circular-motion plane generates a transverse angular-momentum component that rotates at their difference frequency and decays on a timescale set by the participating phonon linewidths, defining a mode with its own resonance and lifetime. Coupling between spin and phonon angular momentum hybridizes this precessional mode with a magnon near resonance. Our results establish phonon angular momentum precessional modes as lattice analogues of magnons and identify their spectroscopic and time-domain signatures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Observation of angular momentum transfer among crystal lattice modes

Transfer of energy and linear momentum between lattice vibrations via anharmonic coupling is an important concept in solid-state physics. However, it remains difficult to directly observe how angular momentum is exchanged and conserved among lattice modes, even though these processes are thought to play an important role in achieving magnetization equilibrium and in spin relaxation effects like the Einstein-de Haas effect. Here, we demonstrate and coherently control angular momentum transfer between two lattice modes using the inverse process of anharmonic decay. The observed rotational phonon-phonon Umklapp scattering enforces the conservation of quantized crystal angular momentum, as dictated by the crystal's discrete rotational symmetry. We thereby experimentally confirm the fundamental analogy between linear and angular momentum conservation in solids. Moreover, we establish axial nonlinear phononics towards ultrafast control of material properties.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2026

Ferron Hall effect: Transverse accumulation of polarization driven by thermal gradients in ferroelectrics

The phonon Hall effect describes the generation of a transverse heat current in response to a longitudinal thermal gradient in a magnetic field. Here, we theoretically demonstrate that, when the lattice excitations deflected by the Hall effect carry electric dipole moments, their transverse motion produces an accumulation of electric polarization in ferroelectric materials. This accumulation is driven by lattice excitations that carry polarization, known as ferrons, and we therefore call the mechanism the ferron Hall effect. Using atomistic lattice dynamics with parameters obtained from density functional theory, we illustrate the effect in the prototypical ferroelectric BaTiO3. Our results identify ferrons as the electric-polarization analogues of magnons in transverse transport and provide a route toward thermal and magnetic manipulation of ferroic order.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Lattice excitations with finite polarization and magnetization

Ferrons are a type of quasiparticle corresponding to elementary excitations of the ferroelectric order. Analogously to how magnons modulate and transport magnetization, ferrons modulate and transport electric polarization. Here, we introduce multiferrons as elementary excitations with both electric and magnetic character. Multiferrons lead to a tilt and elliptical precession of the polarization and at the same time create a magnetization through the mechanism of dynamical multiferroicity. Using first-principles calculations for LiNbO$_3$, we show that the electric polarization of multiferrons is perpendicular to the equilibrium ferroelectric polarization, whereas the magnetization is parallel to it. Our calculations further demonstrate that multiferrons carry net electric and magnetic quadrupole and octupole moments, which we term multipolons. These multipolons could couple to internal multipolar degrees of freedom, for example in altermagnets, or to external probes such as neutrons, leading to potentially experimentally observable phenomena following coherent or thermal excitation of multiferrons.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Atomistic theory of the phonon angular momentum Hall effect

The spin and orbital Hall effects convert longitudinal charge currents into transverse flows of electronic angular momentum. Here we develop an atomistic theory of the recently proposed lattice-vibrational analogue, in which a longitudinal heat current driven by a thermal gradient is converted into a transverse current of phonon angular momentum. We derive a microscopic real-space expression for this current and show that it originates from thermally induced mixing of polarized vibrational motion, leading to a characteristic edge accumulation of phonon angular momentum. We demonstrate the effect in minimal square- and honeycomb-lattice models and compute the resulting phonon angular momentum accumulations for a range of example materials using input from first-principles calculations. Our results confirm that the phonon angular momentum Hall effect is a universal response of crystalline solids and our framework is generically applicable to all materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Anomalous phonon magnetic moments

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: rotationless axial phonons, which exhibit magnetic responses despite only carrying pseudo angular momentum, divergent gyromagnetic ratios of phonons, in which a magnetic moment is produced despite vanishing angular momentum, and anisotropic gyromagnetic ratios of phonons, 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.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Nonlinear phononic slidetronics

Van der Waals ferroelectrics are conventionally switched by sliding the different layers between stacking orders with opposing electric polarizations. Ultrashort laser pulses have been proposed to launch shear modes and induce switching, with often unfeasible large pulse energies however. Here, we demonstrate switching of ferroelectricity in bilayer hexagonal boron nitride through nonlinearly excited phonons. We show that the efficiencies of conventional coherent phonon excitation mechanisms, including infrared absorption and Raman scattering techniques, are too low to overcome the energy barrier separating the two ferroelectric states. We demonstrate instead that excitation of high-frequency intralayer modes leads to a tilting of the interlayer potential-energy landscape that enables changing the stacking order. Our results provide an avenue towards efficient phononic slidetronics, enabling ultrafast control of the stacking order in van der Waals materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Phonon polariton Hall effect

The phonon Hall effect conventionally describes the generation of a transverse heat current in an applied magnetic field. In this work, we extend the effect to hybrid light-matter excitations and demonstrate theoretically that phonon polaritons, formed by coupling optical phonons with terahertz radiation, support transverse energy flow when coherently driven in an applied magnetic field. Using the example of PbTe, which exhibits strongly coupled phonon polaritons, we show that the magnetic field splits the phonon-polariton branches into left and right-handed circular polarization, obtaining unequal group velocities. We derive the energy current operators for propagating phonon polaritons and show how their mixed phononic-photonic nature enables controllable transverse phonon-polariton transport in the terahertz regime. Our results demonstrate bending of light through a phonon polariton Hall effect, which provides a route towards terahertz polaritonic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Multicolor phonon excitation in terahertz cavities

Driving materials using light with more than one frequency component is an emerging technique, enabled by advanced pulse-shaping capabilities in recent years. Here, we translate this technique to lattice vibrations, by exciting multicolor phonons using terahertz cavities. In contrast to light, phonon frequencies are determined by the crystal structure and cannot readily be changed. We overcome this problem by tuning the frequencies of phonon polaritons in terahertz cavities to achieve the desired frequency ratios necessary for phononic Lissajous figures. This methodology enables dynamical crystallographic symmetry breaking and the creation of staggered phonon angular momentum and magnetic moment patterns.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

The 2025 Roadmap to Ultrafast Dynamics: Frontiers of Theoretical and Computational Modelling

The exploration of ultrafast phenomena is a frontier of condensed matter research, where the interplay of theory, computation, and experiment is unveiling new opportunities for understanding and engineering quantum materials. With the advent of advanced experimental techniques and computational tools, it has become possible to probe and manipulate nonequilibrium processes at unprecedented temporal and spatial resolutions, providing insights into the dynamical behavior of matter under extreme conditions. These capabilities have the potential to revolutionize fields ranging from optoelectronics and quantum information to catalysis and energy storage. This Roadmap captures the collective progress and vision of leading researchers, addressing challenges and opportunities across key areas of ultrafast science. Contributions in this Roadmap span the development of ab initio methods for time-resolved spectroscopy, the dynamics of driven correlated systems, the engineering of materials in optical cavities, and the adoption of FAIR principles for data sharing and analysis. Together, these efforts highlight the interdisciplinary nature of ultrafast research and its reliance on cutting-edge methodologies, including quantum electrodynamical density-functional theory, correlated electronic structure methods, nonequilibrium Green's function approaches, quantum and ab initio simulations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Spontaneous emergence of phonon angular momentum through hybridization with magnons

Chirality, the breaking of improper rotational symmetry, is a fundamental concept spanning diverse scientific domains. In condensed matter physics, chiral phonons, originating from circular atomic motions that carry angular momentum, have sparked intense interest due to their coupling to magnetic degrees of freedom, enabling potential phonon-controlled spintronics. However, modes and their counter-rotating counterparts are typically degenerate at the Brillouin zone center. Selective excitation of a single-handed circulating phonon requires external stimuli that break the degeneracy. Whether energetically nondegenerate circularly polarized phonons can appear spontaneously without structural or external symmetry breaking remains an open question. Here, we demonstrate that nondegenerate elliptically polarized phonon pairs can be induced by coupling to magnons with same helicity in the van der Waals antiferromagnet $\mathrm{FePSe_3}$. We confirm the presence of magnon-phonon hybrids, also known as magnon polarons, which exhibit inherent elliptical polarization with opposite helicities and distinct energies. This nondegeneracy enables their coherent excitation with linearly polarized terahertz pulses, which also endows these rotating modes with chirality. By tuning the polarization of the terahertz drive and measuring phase-resolved polarimetry of the resulting coherent oscillations, we determine the ellipticity and map the trajectory of these hybrid quasiparticles. Our findings establish a general approach to search for intrinsically nondegenerate phonons with angular momentum at the center of the Brillouin zone and introduce a new methodology for characterizing their ellipticity, outlining a roadmap towards chiral-phonon-controlled spintronic functionalities.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Terahertz Control of Linear and Nonlinear Magno-Phononics

Coherent manipulation of magnetism through the lattice provides unprecedented opportunities for controlling spintronic functionalities on the ultrafast timescale. Such nonthermal control conventionally involves nonlinear excitation of Raman-active phonons which are coupled to the magnetic order. Linear excitation, in contrast, holds potential for more efficient and selective modulation of magnetic properties. However, the linear channel remains uncharted, since it is conventionally considered forbidden in inversion symmetric quantum materials. Here, we harness strong coupling between magnons and Raman-active phonons to achieve both linear and quadratic excitation regimes of magnon-polarons, magnon-phonon hybrid quasiparticles. We demonstrate this by driving magnon-polarons with an intense terahertz pulse in the van der Waals antiferromagnet $\mathrm{FePS_3}$. Such excitation behavior enables a unique way to coherently control the amplitude of magnon-polaron oscillations by tuning the terahertz field strength and its polarization. The polarimetry of the resulting coherent oscillation amplitude breaks the crystallographic $C_2$ symmetry due to strong interference between different excitation channels. Our findings unlock a wide range of possibilities to manipulate material properties, including modulation of exchange interactions by phonon-Floquet engineering.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Phonon-induced geometric chirality

Chiral properties have seen increasing use in recent years, leading to the emerging fields of chiral quantum optics, plasmonics, and phononics. While these fields have achieved manipulation of the chirality of light and lattice vibrations, controlling the chirality of materials on demand has yet remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate that linearly polarized phonons can be used to induce geometric chirality in achiral crystals when excited with an ultrashort laser pulse. We show that nonlinear phonon coupling quasistatically displaces the crystal structure along phonon modes that reduce the symmetry of the lattice to that of a chiral point group corresponding to a chiral crystal. By reorienting the polarization of the laser pulse, the two enantiomers can be induced selectively. Therefore, geometric chiral phonons enable the light-induced creation of chiral crystal structures and offer a pathway to engineering chiral electronic states and optical properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Electro-phononic and magneto-phononic frequency conversion

Nonlinear frequency conversion by optical rectification, as well as difference- and sum-frequency generation are fundamental processes for producing electromagnetic radiation at different frequencies. Here, we demonstrate that coherently excited infrared-active phonons can be used as transducers for generating nonlinear electric polarizations and magnetizations via phonon-phonon and phonon-magnon interactions, in a way similar to nonlinear optical frequency conversion. We derive analytical solutions for the time-dependent polarizations and magnetizations for the second-order response to the electric field component of an ultrashort laser pulse. These allow us to define second-order nonlinear electric and magneto-electric susceptibilities that capture the rectification, as well as the impulsive and sum-frequency excitation of coherent phonons and magnons. Our theoretical framework naturally incorporates existing mechanisms and further leads to the prediction of a hybrid magneto-opto-phononic inverse Faraday effect involving photon-phonon-magnon scattering. Our work demonstrates nonlinear phononics as a pathway to controlling the electric polarization and magnetization in solids.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Dynamically induced multiferroic polarization

We describe a mechanism by which both ferroelectric polarization and magnetization can be created in nonpolar, nonmagnetic materials. Using a combination of phenomenological modeling and first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that ferroelectric polarization, magnetization, or both simultaneously can be transiently induced by an ultrashort laser pulse upon linearly, circularly, or elliptically polarized excitation of phonon modes in $γ$-LiBO$_2$. The direction and magnitude of the multiferroic polarization can be controlled by the chirality of the laser pulse and the phonon modes, offering a pathway for controlling multiferroicity and magnetoelectricity on ultrafast timescales.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Ultrafast simultaneous manipulation of multiple ferroic orders through nonlinear phonon excitation

Recent experimental studies have demonstrated the possibility of utilizing strong terahertz pulses to manipulate individual ferroic orders on pico- and femtosecond timescales. Here, we extend these findings and showcase the simultaneous manipulation of multiple ferroic orders in BiFeO$_3$, a material that is both ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic at room temperature. We find a concurrent enhancement of ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic second-harmonic generation (SHG) following the resonant excitation of a high-frequency fully-symmetric phonon mode. Based on first-principles calculations and phenomenological modeling, we ascribe this observation to the inherent coupling of the two ferroic orders to the nonequilibrium distortions induced in the crystal lattice by nonlinearly driven phonons. Our finding highlights the potential of nonlinear phononics as a technique for manipulating multiple ferroic order parameters at once. In addition, this approach provides a promising avenue to studying the dynamical magnetization and polarization behavior, as well as their intrinsic coupling, on ultrashort timescales.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Light-induced weak ferromagnetism through nonlinear magnonic rectification

Rectification describes the generation of a quasistatic component from an oscillating field, such as an electric polarization in optical rectification, or a structural distortion in nonlinear phononic rectification. Here, we present a third fundamental process for magnetization, in which spin precession is rectified along the coordinates of a nonlinearly driven magnon mode in an antiferromagnet. We demonstrate theoretically that a quasistatic magnetization can be induced by transient spin canting in response to the coherent excitation of a chiral phonon mode that produces an effective magnetic field for the spins. This mechanism, which we call nonlinear magnonic rectification, is generally applicable to magnetic systems that exhibit infrared-active chiral phonon modes. Our results serve as an example of light-induced weak ferromagnetism and open a promising avenue towards creating dynamical spin configurations that are not accessible in equilibrium.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Giant effective magnetic moments of chiral phonons from orbit-lattice coupling

Circularly polarized lattice vibrations carry angular momentum and lead to magnetic responses in applied magnetic fields or when resonantly driven with ultrashort laser pulses. Recent measurements have found responses that are orders of magnitude larger than those calculated in prior theoretical studies. Here, we present a microscopic model for the effective magnetic moments of chiral phonons in magnetic materials that is able to reproduce the experimentally measured magnitudes and that allows us to make quantitative predictions for materials with giant magnetic responses using microscopic parameters. Our model is based on orbit-lattice couplings that hybridize optical phonons with orbital electronic transitions. We apply our model to two types of materials: $4f$ rare-earth halide paramagnets and $3d$ transition-metal oxide magnets. In both cases, we find that chiral phonons can carry giant effective magnetic moments of the order of a Bohr magneton, orders of magnitude larger than previous predictions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗