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The recently demonstrated chiral modes of lattice motion carry angular momentum and therefore directly couple to magnetic fields. Notably, their magnetic moments are predicted to be strongly influenced by electronic contributions. Here, we have studied the magnetic response of transverse optical phonons in a set of Pb1−xSnxTe films, which is a topological crystalline insulator forx> 0.32 and has a ferroelectric transition at anx-dependent critical temperature. Polarization-dependent terahertz magnetospectroscopy measurements revealed Zeeman splittings and diamagnetic shifts, demonstrating a large phonon magnetic moment. Films in the topological phase exhibited phonon magnetic moment values that were larger than those in the topologically trivial samples by two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the sign of the effective phonong-factor was opposite in the two phases, a signature of the topological transition according to our model. These results strongly indicate the existence of interplay between the magnetic properties of chiral phonons and the topology of the electronic band structure.
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This content will become publicly available on January 31, 2026
Transforming achiral semiconductors into chiral domains with exceptional circular dichroism
Highly concentrated solutions of asymmetric semiconductor magic-sized clusters (MSCs) of cadmium sulfide, cadmium selenide, and cadmium telluride were directed through a controlled drying meniscus front, resulting in the formation of chiral MSC assemblies. This process aligned their transition dipole moments and produced chiroptic films with exceptionally strong circular dichroism.G-factors reached magnitudes as high as 1.30 for drop-cast films and 1.06 for patterned films, approaching theoretical limits. By controlling the evaporation geometry, various domain shapes and sizes were achieved, with homochiral domains exceeding 6 square millimeters that transition smoothly between left- and right-handed chirality. Our results uncovered fundamental relationships between meniscus deposition processes, the alignment of supramolecular filaments and their MSC constituents, and their connection to emergent chiral properties.
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- PAR ID:
- 10577342
- Publisher / Repository:
- AAAS
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Science
- Volume:
- 387
- Issue:
- 6733
- ISSN:
- 0036-8075
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- eado7201
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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