Chiral phonons enable magnet-free control of electron orbital motion

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 04:25:00 +0200

Researchers have demonstrated a new way to control electrons without relying on magnets, potentially opening a path toward more efficient computing technologies. The breakthrough centers on a concept known as orbitronics, which uses the orbital motion of electrons around atomic nuclei to store and process information. Traditionally, manipulating this motion has required magnetic materials or external electrical inputs, which can be expensive, energy-intensive, and difficult to scale.

The new approach instead uses chiral phonons—special types of atomic vibrations that occur in materials with a twisted, or chiral, structure. In these materials, atoms vibrate in circular or spiral patterns rather than simple back-and-forth motion. These vibrations propagate as waves, carrying angular momentum. The researchers showed for the first time that this angular momentum can be directly transferred to electrons, effectively controlling their orbital motion without magnets or electric currents.

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