(c) Dr Paul Kinsler. [Acknowledgements & Feedback]
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Phonons are quantum vibrations in materials. These vibrations can be in the positions of the atoms, or in the positions of the electrons surrounding the atomic nuclei. The size of these vibrations is very tiny, and in fact they are the smallest possible vibrations the material can make. There are different types of phonon, one for every different kind of vibration.
Common types of phonons are acoustic phonons and optical phonons. Acoustic phonons can have any value of energy, but optical phonons can only have energy above a particular minimum value. This minimum depends on the properties of the material it is in.
Because phonons are movements in the positions of the atomic nuclei and bound electrons in the material, this means they cause changes in the electric-field in the material. These changes will affect other particles with electric-charge, such as free carriers, excitons, and also even light. In the same way, these objects can also affect and create phonons. However, the strengths of these interactions vary greatly, and light is not usually affected much by direct interaction with phonons.
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XKEYWORD: phonon
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