Kohn anomaly in a topological phase transition

Abstract

Topological crystalline insulators extend the concept of topological insulators by hosting surface states protected by crystallographic symmetry. Their topological phase transitions arise from spin-orbit-driven band inversion in the bulk electronic structure, reshaping the low-energy electronic environment and its coupling to lattice excitations. While the electronic aspects of band topology are well established, the corresponding dynamics of lattice and electron-phonon interactions remain largely unexplored. Here, we report a pronounced softening of a low-energy surface phonon mode across the topological phase transition in Pb0.77Sn0.23Se, revealed by temperature-dependent time-domain terahertz spectroscopy. Unlike the well-known phonon softening in ferroelectrics, this effect does not signal a structural instability but instead reflects electronic reconstruction. We attribute the softening to the Kohn anomaly, indicating a strong coupling between lattice vibrations and Dirac-like surface electrons in the topological phase. Consistently, the phonon linewidth deviates from the standard anharmonic temperature dependence, further evidencing enhanced electron-phonon coupling. Our results establish phonon softening as a spectroscopic signature of topological phase transitions and provide a route to distinguish topological and trivial phases.