Observation of second sound in graphite over 200 K

Second sound refers to the phenomenon of heat propagation as temperature waves in the phonon hydrodynamic transport regime. We directly observe second sound in graphite at temperatures of over 200 K using a sub-picosecond transient grating technique. The experimentally determined dispersion relation of the thermal-wave velocity increases with decreasing grating period, consistent with first-principles-based solution of the Peierls-Boltzmann transport equation. Through simulation, we reveal this increase as a result of thermal zero sound—the thermal waves due to ballistic phonons. Our experimental findings are well explained with the interplay among three groups of phonons: ballistic, diffusive, and hydrodynamic phonons. Our ab initio calculations further predict a large isotope effect on the properties of thermal waves and the existence of second sound at room temperature in isotopically pure graphite.

Zhiwei Ding, Ke Chen, Bai Song, Jungwoo Shin, Alexei A. Maznev, Keith A. Nelson, Gang Chen