Phonon momentum and damping of mechanical resonators

Abstract

The concept of physical momentum associated to phonons in a crystal, complemented with some fundamental reasoning, implies measurable effects in crystals even at a macroscopic scale. We show that, in close analogy with the transfer of momentum in the kinetic theory of gases, physical momentum carried by of phonons couples the thermal and the velocity field in a vibrating crystal. Therefore an heat flow applied to a vibrating crystal can sustain or damp the oscillation, depending on the interplay between the temperature and the velocity gradient. We derive the general equations of this effect and show that its experimental confirmation is within reach of current technology.