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Chiral Phonons Arising from Chirality-Selective Magnon-Phonon Coupling

Markus Weißenhofer1,2,*, Philipp Rieger1,3, M. S. Mrudul1, Luca Mikadze1, Ulrich Nowak3, and Peter M. Oppeneer1

  • *Contact author: markus.weissenhofer@fu-berlin.de
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 216701 – Published 17 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/j7bs-2zbx

Abstract

Chiral phonons are desirable for applications in spintronics but their generation and control remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate the emergence of truly chiral phonons from selective magnon-phonon coupling in inversion-symmetric magnetic systems. Considering bcc Fe as an example, we quantitatively calculate hybridized magnon-phonon quasiparticle states across the entire Brillouin zone utilizing first-principles calculations. Our findings challenge conventional magnetoelastic interpretations and reveal finite zero-point phonon angular momentum and strong anomalous thermal Hall responses linked to finite (spin) Berry curvatures. Our results further establish that the existence of chiral phonons, particularly along high-symmetry directions, is common in many magnetic materials, offering promising avenues for novel spintronic and phononic devices.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 216701– Published 17 November, 2025
  • Received 8 November 2024
  • Revised 25 August 2025
  • Accepted 30 October 2025
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