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Atoms vibrate on circular paths—with an unexpected twist

Phys · · 674 words · By Simon Schmitt
Quantum Physics Scientific Innovation Material Science

An international team of researchers has directly observed the transfer and conservation of angular momentum within a crystal lattice using terahertz laser pulses. The study, published in Nature Physics, demonstrates how the rotational direction of atomic motions can reverse due to the material's symmetry, potentially impacting future quantum materials and information technology.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atoms-vibrate-circular-paths-unexpected.html

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10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

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Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

8 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 3
check_circle Corroborated 2
verified Verified 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
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“An international team of researchers, including scientists from HZDR and Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, for the first time directly observed how angular momentum is transferred and conserved within a crystal lattice.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the research on angular momentum transfer among crystal lattice modes involving Olga Minakova from the Fritz Haber Institute and researchers from HZDR.
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web search NEUTRAL — While the exchange of energy and linear momentum between lattice vibrations (phonons) via anharmonic coupling is a cornerstone of solid-state physics, conservation and transfer of angular momentum wit…
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Olga-Minakova-5
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web search NEUTRAL — 2 Department of Physical Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Berlin, Germany. 3 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35210586/
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web search NEUTRAL — Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology at the HZDR.
https://www.hzdr.de/db/Cms?pOid=32948&pNid=2423
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“Using intense terahertz laser pulses, the researchers were able to selectively control these processes, which unveiled a surprising effect: During the angular momentum transfer, the direction of rotation reverses—caused by the rotational symmetry of the material.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While evidence confirms the use of terahertz pulses to control phonons and the existence of the study, the specific detail about the 'direction of rotation reversing' due to rotational symmetry is not explicitly detailed in the provided search snippets, though it aligns with the study's theme.
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web search NEUTRAL — Intense terahertz pulses can couple to spins on the intrinsic energy scale of magnetic excitations. Here, we explore a novel electric dipole-mediated mechanism of nonlinear terahertz-spin coupling tha…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392683315_Control_o…
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web search NEUTRAL — The intensity of a nonlinear terahertz (THz) source is primarily given by its spectral density. In this letter, we introduce triangular Selinium (Se) as a novel THz emitter and show numerically its su…
https://www.academia.edu/20495069/Spectrally_intense_teraher…
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web search NEUTRAL — Andrea Cavalleri at the MPSD has pioneered the field of controlling materials by driving atomic vibrations (i.e. phonons) with intense terahertz laser pulses. If the atoms vibrate strongly enough, the…
https://sciencebulletin.org/terahertz-laser-pulses-amplify-o…
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“The results, published in Nature Physics, provide new insights into the foundation of magnetism and open up possibilities for tailored control of quantum materials.”
VERIFIED
Web search results explicitly mention the paper 'Observation of angular momentum transfer among crystal lattice modes' published in Nature Physics.
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web search NEUTRAL — Here we demonstrate and coherently control angular momentum transfer between two lattice modes using the inverse process of anharmonic decay.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-026-03274-8
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web search NEUTRAL — The discrete rotational symmetry of crystals leads to the conservation of quantized angular momentum in solids. While the exchange of energy and linear momentum between lattice vibrations (phonons) vi…
https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.11626
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web search NEUTRAL — How angular momentum is exchanged and conserved among lattice modes has been difficult to measure experimentally, but has now been observed via a coherent three-phonon scattering process in a topologi…
https://www.physics.uoc.gr/node/5116
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“More than 100 years ago, Albert Einstein and Wander Johannes de Haas demonstrated in their famous experiment that changing the magnetization of a material induces a measurable mechanical rotation”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The Einstein-de Haas effect is a well-documented physical phenomenon confirmed by Wikipedia and other scientific references, demonstrating that changing magnetization induces mechanical rotation.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Einstein–de Haas effect is a physical phenomenon in which a change in the magnetic moment of a free body causes the body to rotate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein–de_Haas_effect
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web search NEUTRAL — Since the material's angular momentum must be conserved, it's converted into mechanical rotation, as the Einstein-de Haas experiment demonstrated. Twist and shout.
https://phys.org/news/2019-01-einsteinde-haas-effect-insight…
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web search NEUTRAL — The classical Einstein-de Haas experiment demonstrates that a change of magnetization in a macroscopic magnetic object results in a mechanical rotation of this magnet.
https://www.mrowl.com/user/prithvi_c/alberteinstein/collabor…
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“Now, an international team of physicists from Berlin, Dresden, Jülich, and Eindhoven has succeeded in directly observing this process for the first time.”
CORROBORATED
The research paper (arXiv 2503.11626) and associated web results confirm an international team (including authors from the mentioned regions/institutes) observed this process.
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web search NEUTRAL — View a PDF of the paper titled Direct observation of angular momentum transfer among crystal lattice modes, by Olga Minakova and 9 other authors.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.11626
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web search NEUTRAL — In thermodynamics adiabatic process, pressure is directly proportional to cube of absolute temperature.From the statements given below : (A) The angular momentum of an electron in nth orbit is an inte…
https://www.sarthaks.com/3623099/angular-momentum-of-an-elec…
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web search NEUTRAL — The angular momentum is defined as the momentum imparted on a rotating object due to its perpendicular distance from the center of rotation.But the net force acting on the system will not be equal to …
https://www.vedantu.com/question-answer/write-the-relation-b…
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“For the quantum material investigated here, bismuth selenide, an unusual picture emerges. The angular momenta bound to lattice vibrations—so-called lattice angular momenta—can combine in such a way that a rotation with twice the frequency but opposite rotational direction is generated.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms the study exists and involves a topological insulator (bismuth selenide is a known topological insulator), but the specific detail regarding 'twice the frequency but opposite rotational direction' is not explicitly present in the provided snippets.
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web search NEUTRAL — Bismuth is a chemical element; it has symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bismuth
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 4, 2026 · Bismuth, the most metallic and the least abundant of the elements in the nitrogen group (Group 15 [Va] of the periodic table). Bismuth is hard, brittle, lustrous, and coarsely crystallin…
https://www.britannica.com/science/bismuth
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web search NEUTRAL — Learn more about Bismuth uses, effectiveness, possible side effects, interactions, dosage, user ratings and products that contain Bismuth.
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1502/bismut…
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“Such a process has now been experimentally demonstrated for lattice angular momentum for the first time.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms the study on angular momentum transfer, and Wikipedia defines Umklapp processes, but the specific claim that this was the 'first time' demonstrated for lattice angular momentum is only supported by the context of the study itself.
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web search NEUTRAL — In crystalline materials, Umklapp scattering (also U-process or Umklapp process) is a scattering process that results in a wave vector (usually written k) which falls outside the first Brillouin zone.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umklapp_scattering
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web search NEUTRAL — Phonon spin angular momentum is the angular momentum tied to quantized lattice vibrations, emerging from polarization states driven by spin–orbit and spin–phonon interactions.
https://www.emergentmind.com/topics/phonon-spin-angular-mome…
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web search NEUTRAL — We study Umklapp couplings and their renormalisation group flow for electrons in a two-dimensional lattice. It is shown that the effective low energy Hamiltonian involves not only forward scattering, …
https://www.academia.edu/78235347/Umklapp_processes_for_elec…
verified
“Olga Minakova et al, Observation of angular momentum transfer among crystal lattice modes, Nature Physics (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-026-03274-8”
VERIFIED
The paper title, author (Olga Minakova), and journal (Nature Physics) are confirmed by web search results and the arXiv preprint reference. Note: The year 2026 in the claim suggests a future/forthcoming publication date or a typo in the source, but the existence of the work is verified.
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web search NEUTRAL — Paper is a thin sheet of matted cellulose fibers. Largely derived from lignocellulose, paper is created from a pulp dissolved into a slurry that is drained and dried into sheets. Different types of pa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper
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web search NEUTRAL — Paper.io 2 is a sequel to what might be the most popular mobile game played by people from all around the world. Its simple premise, flawless execution and great optimization made it extremely appeali…
https://paperio.site/
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web search NEUTRAL — Paper is a modern and powerful design tool that helps you create, share, and ship your best work.
https://paper.design/
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.