Category : Science and TechPublished on: February 17 2026
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Researchers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, have uncovered a novel mechanism of heat transport in the crystalline material Tl₂AgI₃, challenging conventional phonon gas theory. Unlike typical particle-like phonon scattering, the study shows a particle-to-wave crossover where heat propagates through wave-like coherence above 175 K. Local structural distortions and extreme lattice anharmonicity, guided by Pauling’s third rule, shorten phonon mean free paths, enabling this unusual behaviour.
Using synchrotron X-rays, Raman spectroscopy, thermal measurements, and first-principles calculations, the team confirmed a coherence-driven transport regime. This finding has implications for thermoelectrics and next-generation thermal management technologies.
