Ubiquitous Topological States of Phonons in Solids: Silicon as a Model Material

Research on topological physics of phonons has attracted enormous interest but demands appropriate model materials. Our ab initio calculations identify silicon as an ideal candidate material containing extraordinarily rich topological phonon states. In silicon, we identify various topological nodal lines characterized by quantized Berry phase pi, which gives drumhead surface states observable from any surface orientations. Remarkably, a novel type of topological nexus phonon is discovered which is featured by double Fermi-arc-like surface states but requires neither inversion nor time-reversal symmetry breaking. Versatile topological states can be created from the nexus phonons, such as Hopf nodal links by strain. Furthermore, we generalize the symmetry analysis to other centrosymmetric systems and find numerous candidate materials, demonstrating the ubiquitous existence of topological phonons in solids. These findings open up new opportunities for studying topological phonons in realistic materials and their influence on surface physics.

Automated summary

This research identifies silicon as an ideal candidate material for studying topological phonons. Various topological nodal lines and a novel type of topological nexus phonon are found in silicon. The symmetry analysis is also generalized to other centrosymmetric systems, revealing the presence of numerous candidate materials with topological phonons in solids.