Vortical phonons in the transient relaxation of quenched 2D Yukawa liquids

Yi-Jie Pang^1*, Yan-Ling Chen¹, Wei-Shuo Lo¹, Lin I¹

¹Department of Physics, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan

* Presenter:Yi-Jie Pang, email:yijiepang1@gmail.com

Crystallization of two-dimensional quenched liquids proceeds through structural rearrangements that form and merge crystalline ordered domains (CODs) with distinct lattice orientations. String-like dislocation clusters along domain boundaries accommodate orientation mismatch and strongly influence collective vibrations. While most studies emphasize nucleation and defect kinetics, the coupling between microstructural evolution and phonon dynamics remains less understood. Here, we numerically investigate quenched two-dimensional Yukawa liquids using empirical mode decomposition. The analysis reveals that slow modes exhibit propagating vortical phonons (VPs) whose swirling structures intensify near grain boundaries, inducing cage rattling of 5–7 dislocations and dislocation scattering through triple-swirl configuration. These findings provide a deeper understanding of interplay between acoustic wave propagation and structure rearrangements.

Keywords: crystalline order domain boundary, quenched system, Yukawa liquid