Phonon Angular Momentum Generation in Single-Stranded Helix Structure

H Sun and JQ Chen and QX Wang and XL Zeng and J Zhou and LF Zhang, CHINESE PHYSICS LETTERS, 42, 090711 (2025).

DOI: 10.1088/0256-307X/42/9/090711

The experimental realization of observable phonon angular momentum (PAM) in feasible systems using relatively simple methods remains a critical challenge. Motivated by the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect, this study explores the generation of PAM during the transport of electrically driven polarons along a single-stranded helix structure. We demonstrate that the motion of a polaron under an applied electric field inherently induces a finite PAM, exhibiting drift-locked behavior between the PAM and the polaron. By analyzing the time evolution of PAM distribution at each site, we identify the observed PAM as a natural consequence of coherent superposition between lattice waves, in which the chiral structure selectively determines the direction of induced PAM. Furthermore, we examine the roles of two types of electron-phonon interactions and structural periodicity in modulating PAM. These findings highlight the potential of chiral molecules as platforms for PAM generation and offer new insights into developing phonon-spin-based devices for information processing and transmission.

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