SPRING-MASS LATTICE

Phonons & Mechanical Wave Propagation

A 2D grid of masses connected by springs models how sound and heat travel through crystals. Click to excite a phonon-like pulse. Spring tension is color-coded: blue for compression, orange for tension. Adjust stiffness and damping to change wave speed and decay.

LATTICE CONTROLS

Science: Phonons are quantized lattice vibrations — the crystal analogue of photons. Dispersion relation ω(k): for a 1D chain, ω = 2√(k/m)|sin(qa/2)|. Acoustic branches → sound; optical branches → IR-active. Debye model uses linear dispersion to calculate heat capacity ∝T³.