phonon
Sign in to saveA phonon is a quasiparticle, collective excitation in a periodic, elastic arrangement of atoms or molecules in condensed matter, specifically in solids and some liquids. In the context of optically trapped objects, the quantized vibration mode can be defined as phonons as long as the modal wavelength of the oscillation is smaller than the size of the object. A type of quasiparticle in physics, a phonon is an excited state in the quantum mechanical quantization of the modes of vibrations for elastic structures of interacting particles. Phonons can be thought of as quantized sound waves, similar
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A phonon is a quantum unit of vibration that arises when atoms or molecules in a solid (or some liquids) oscillate together in coordinated patterns. Phonons are useful in physics because they allow scientists to describe and predict how solids conduct heat and sound, and how they respond to temperature changes, by treating vibrations as discrete, countable entities rather than continuous waves.
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Article
21 sectionsContents
- Definition
- Lattice dynamics
- Lattice waves
- One-dimensional lattice
- Classical treatment
- Quantum treatment
- Three-dimensional lattice
- Dispersion relation
- Interpretation of phonons using second quantization techniques
- Crystal momentum
- Thermodynamics
- Phonon tunneling
- Operator formalism
- Nonlinearity
- Predicted properties
- Superconductivity
- Other research
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
A phonon is a quasiparticle, collective excitation in a periodic, elastic arrangement of atoms or molecules in condensed matter, specifically in solids and some liquids. In the context of optically trapped objects, the quantized vibration mode can be defined as phonons as long as the modal wavelength of the oscillation is smaller than the size of the object. A type of quasiparticle in physics, a phonon is an excited state in the quantum mechanical quantization of the modes of vibrations for elastic structures of interacting particles. Phonons can be thought of as quantized sound waves, similar to photons as quantized light waves.
The study of phonons is an important part of condensed matter physics. They play a major role in many of the physical properties of condensed matter systems, such as thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity, as well as in models of neutron scattering and related effects.