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.

Phonon, in condensed-matter physics, a unit of vibrational energy that arises from oscillating atoms within a crystal. Any solid crystal, such as ordinary table salt (sodium chloride), consists of atoms …

Jun 10, 2025 · There are two main types of phonons: acoustic phonons and optical phonons. Each type affects how energy moves through a solid material in different ways. Acoustic phonons are low …

Jul 23, 2025 · Most of us get confused, when we hear the word phonon, because it is very similar to the word photon. And the question pops up in our minds: whether these two words refer to a similar thing …

1 Introduction A phonon is a collective excitation in condensed matter, which is a quantization of the vibration mode in elastic structures. Although phonons are not as popular as photons or electrons, …

Jan 21, 2026 · The meaning of PHONON is a quantum of vibrational energy (as in a crystal).

A phonon is the elementary excitation in the quantum mechanical treatment of vibrations in a crystal lattice [1] or the quantum unit of a crystal lattice vibration.

Apr 7, 2024 · In the figures illustrating each phonon mode, the arrows signify the direction and “size” of the atomic displacements, which are, in fact, oscillations about the equilibrium positions of the atoms.

Jul 8, 2010 · When one of the atoms gets pushed or pulled, it sets off a wave (or phonon) travelling through the crystal, just as sitting down on one edge of a trampoline can set off vibrations through …

The evidence on the behavior of vibrational energy in periodic solids is that the collective vibrational modes can accept energy only in discrete amounts, and these quanta of energy have been labeled …