Gate-tunable chiral phonons in low-buckled group-IVA monolayers

Abstract

We investigate the electric response of chiral phonons on the low-buckled group-IVA monolayers by performing first-principles calculations. The vertical electric field breaks the degeneracy of phonon modes at high-symmetry $\pm K$ points of the phonon Brillouin zone, and the size of the phononic gap is proportional to the strength of the electric field. The gapped phonon modes at $\pm K$ possess chiralities with considerable phonon circular polarizations and discrete phonon pseudoangular momenta. The chiralities of phonons are robust against the variation of the field strength, but reversed by changing the field direction. Electric control of chiral phonons adds a new dimension to the study of chiral phonons, which has potential use in the design of phononic and valley devices.