Phonon Diffraction and Interference

We have observed phonons diffraction and interference patterns at the atomic scale, using molecular dynamics simulations in systems containing crystalline silicon and nanometric obstacles as voids or amorphous-inclusions. The diffraction patterns caused by these nano-architectured hybrid systems of the same order as the phonon wavelengths are similar to the ones predicted by a simple Fresnel- Kirchhoff integral. These findings give evidence of the wave nature of phonons, can help to a better comprehension of the interaction of phonons with nanoobjects and at long term can be useful for intelligent thermal management and phonon frequency filtering at the nanoscale.