Theory of momentum-resolved phonon spectroscopy in the electron microscope

Abstract

We provide a theoretical framework for the prediction and interpretation of momentum dependent phonon spectra due to coherent inelastic scattering of electrons. We complete the approach with first principles lattice dynamics using periodic density functional theory and compare to recent electron energy loss measurements on cubic and hexagonal boron nitride performed within a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). The combination of theory and experiment provides the ability to interpret momentum dependent phonon spectra obtained at nanometer spatial resolution in the electron microscope.

arXiv comment6 pages, 2 figures Reprinted with permission from RJ Nicholls, FS Hage, DG McCulloch, QM Ramasse, K Refson and JR Yates, Phys. Rev. B 99, 094105 (2019). Copyright 2019 by the American Physical Society

References in corpus (3)

• Probing low-energy hyperbolic polaritons in van der Waals crystals with an electron microscope
• Towards weighing individual atoms by high-angle scattering of electrons
• Phonons in Crystals using Inelastic X-Ray Scattering

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Position and momentum mapping of vibrations in graphene nanostructures in the electron microscope
• Measuring phonon dispersion at an interface
• Four-dimensional Vibrational Spectroscopy for Nanoscale Mapping of Phonon Dispersion in BN Nanotubes
• Efficient and versatile model for vibrational STEM-EELS
• The frequency-resolved frozen phonon multislice method and its application to vibrational EELS using parallel illumination
• Dynamical theory of angle-resolved electron energy loss and gain spectroscopies of phonons and magnons in transmission electron microscopy including multiple scattering effects
• Simulations of angle- and spatially-resolved vibrational electron energy loss spectroscopy for a system with a planar defect
• Perspective on Atomic-Resolution Vibrational Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy