Nonadiabatic Theory of Phonon Magnetic Moments in Insulators and Metals

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Chen, Haoran, Chen, Wenqin, Yang, Kaijie, Cao, Ting, Xiao, Di
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Chen, Haoran
Chen, Wenqin
Yang, Kaijie
Cao, Ting
Xiao, Di
author_facet Chen, Haoran
Chen, Wenqin
Yang, Kaijie
Cao, Ting
Xiao, Di
contents We develop a nonadiabatic theory of phonon magnetic moments applicable to both insulators and metals. By relating the phonon magnetic moment to the force-velocity response of ions in a magnetic field, we derive a gauge-invariant expression using a gauge-covariant Wigner expansion. The formalism naturally separates Fermi-sea and Fermi-surface contributions and captures the full dependence on phonon frequency. In gapped systems, our theory reduces to previous adiabatic expressions in the low-frequency limit. Beyond this limit, it reveals additional contributions arising from resonant interband processes and the Fermi surface. Applying our theory to Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Te, we find that the Fermi-surface contribution substantially enhances the phonon magnetic moment, reproducing the same order of magnitude as the experimental observation. Our results provide a unified framework for describing phonon magnetic moments beyond the adiabatic regime.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_06983
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Nonadiabatic Theory of Phonon Magnetic Moments in Insulators and Metals
Chen, Haoran
Chen, Wenqin
Yang, Kaijie
Cao, Ting
Xiao, Di
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
We develop a nonadiabatic theory of phonon magnetic moments applicable to both insulators and metals. By relating the phonon magnetic moment to the force-velocity response of ions in a magnetic field, we derive a gauge-invariant expression using a gauge-covariant Wigner expansion. The formalism naturally separates Fermi-sea and Fermi-surface contributions and captures the full dependence on phonon frequency. In gapped systems, our theory reduces to previous adiabatic expressions in the low-frequency limit. Beyond this limit, it reveals additional contributions arising from resonant interband processes and the Fermi surface. Applying our theory to Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_x$Te, we find that the Fermi-surface contribution substantially enhances the phonon magnetic moment, reproducing the same order of magnitude as the experimental observation. Our results provide a unified framework for describing phonon magnetic moments beyond the adiabatic regime.
title Nonadiabatic Theory of Phonon Magnetic Moments in Insulators and Metals
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.06983