Visualization of chiral phonons in space and time

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Peter Baum
• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 541503763

On a fundamental level, chiral phonons are rotational atomic motions on picometer and femtosecond dimensions in space and time. We will apply ultrafast electron diffraction and ultrafast transmission electron microscopy to obtain insight into the generation, properties, dynamics, transport and decay of chiral phonons on those small dimensions. To this end, we will (i) advance our measurement capabilities, (ii) investigate with ultrafast electron diffraction the physics of chiral phonons in ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic materials and (iii) visualize with ultrafast electron microscopy the transport and decay of chiral phonons in natural and artificial nanostructures. In this way, we will establish basic knowledge on the atomistic mechanisms and phenomena that govern chiral phonons on the atomic scale.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 5844: Chiral phonons for spintronics_ChiPS