Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The quantum of acoustic or vibrational energy, considered as a quasiparticle and used especially in mathematical models to calculate thermal and vibrational properties of solids.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun physics The quantum of acoustic or vibrational energy (sound), considered a discrete particle rather than a wave.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, "sound") + -on. Modelled after photon.

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Examples

  • In crystals this source is a phonon, which is a bundle of energy resulting from vibrations in the crystal's lattice and which has a large momentum.

    Photovoltaics 2009

  • The phonon is a particle used in quantum mechanics to describe the propagation of sound in a crystal matrix.

    Archive 2007-11-01 James Killus 2007

  • The phonon is a particle used in quantum mechanics to describe the propagation of sound in a crystal matrix.

    As Beauty Does James Killus 2007

  • The connection between energy and wavelength in, for example, crystal oscillations, termed the phonon dispersion relation, is a complicated function.

    Press Release: The 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics 1994

  • And, because the phonon and reddened photon are generated together, they share their quantum state-that is, the phonon and the photon are entangled.

    Ars Technica Chris Lee 2011

  • Laser pulses were used to put the two diamonds into a state where they were entangled with one another through a shared vibration known as a phonon.

    CBC | Top Stories News 2011

  • That's possible because phonons have a wavelength which is similar in size to a DNA helix and this allows standing waves to form, a phenomenon known as phonon trapping.

    Ghost of a flea 2010

  • In crystals this source is a phonon, which is a bundle of energy resulting from vibrations in the crystal's lattice and which has a large momentum.

    Featured Articles - Encyclopedia of Earth 2010

  • In a sense, then, "phonon" is just a fancy word for a particle of heat.

    R&D Mag - News 2010

  • In a sense, then, "phonon" is just a fancy word for a particle of heat.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • Physicists have now turned to quantum effects to split phonons, the smallest bits of sound, researchers report in the June 9 Science.

    Physicists split bits of sound using quantum mechanics E-mail 2023

Comments

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  • Mode of vibration occurring in a rigid crystal lattice, such as the atomic lattice of a solid. The study of phonons is an important part of solid state physics. See also: roton.

    January 21, 2009

  • "The concept of phonons was introduced in 1932 by Russian physicist Igor Tamm. The name phonon comes from the Greek word φωνή (phonē), which translates as sound or voice because long-wavelength phonons give rise to sound."

    -- http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phonon&oldid=551664841

    April 29, 2013