Topological phonon gaps in Fibonacci isotope nanoribbons of hexagonal boron nitride

We show that a Fibonacci ¹⁰BN/¹¹BN isotope modulation in a strictly single-mode hexagonal boron nitride nanoribbon opens topologically labelled phonon band gaps, and that these gaps survive realistic edge roughness — because the roughness itself is far more transparent than ray-limit theory predicts. Main results Born-transparency law. In the single-mode wave limit (λ >> W) the coherence length obeys the zero-parameter law ξedge = 2W²/[q²Sw(2q)], and the Ziman ray formula underestimates it by a median factor of 10.8. All three scaling exponents are pinned numerically (−1.91±0.06, +1.87±0.08, −1.384±0.095 against the predicted −2, +2, −1.38), and the absolute magnitude to 3.5%, with the residual confirmed as a second-order correction by two independent routes agreeing to 10⁻³. Edge-flatness tolerance relaxes from atomic (≲0.13 nm) to electron-beam-lithography scale (≲1 nm). Falsifiable gap labeling. Twelve gaps carry gap-labeling-theorem indices with median IDOS residual 3×10⁻⁶, against 4×10⁻³ for matched random controls — a 1385× separation, p = 1.4×10⁻³. Full counter-propagating phason pumping. Per-edge spectral flow ±q verified for all twelve gaps up to |q| = 11, including a documented silent-failure mode of eigenvector-overlap branch tracking at in-gap avoided crossings. Working point and experiment. Operating gap at 0.250 THz (W = 30 nm, d = 24.8 nm, L = 20 μm); topology costs 2.20× in localization length relative to a periodic superlattice at matched frequency. An ASOPS acoustic-cavity measurement is proposed, with a built-in opposite-Chern-number control gap at 0.154 THz in the same device. Methods. Hermitian variational boundary-conforming recursive Green's-function transport, validated by three gates (grid convergence, transmission-eigenvalue unitarity, analytic single-bump Born anchor); transfer-matrix Lyapunov spectra; Sturm-count integrated density of states. Three numerical failure modes and the gate that catches each are documented in the text. Scope. Computations use a scalar single-polarization model with h-BN parameters; a scope section in the paper details which conclusions are polarization-generic and which numbers await a full elastic treatment. Companion paper (Paper 1 of the series): Hyperuniform isotope arrangements and the scaling of phonon scattering in hexagonal boron nitride, doi:10.5281/zenodo.21981511.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-08-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22074530
Primary Topic
Topological Materials and Phenomena
Type
preprint
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
preprint

Topological phonon gaps in Fibonacci isotope nanoribbons of hexagonal boron nitride

Ruqing Chen, Ronghua Wu
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Topological Materials and Phenomena
preprint

Topological phonon gaps in Fibonacci isotope nanoribbons of hexagonal boron nitride

Ruqing Chen, Ronghua Wu
preprint en

Abstract

We show that a Fibonacci ¹⁰BN/¹¹BN isotope modulation in a strictly single-mode hexagonal boron nitride nanoribbon opens topologically labelled phonon band gaps, and that these gaps survive realistic edge roughness — because the roughness itself is far more transparent than ray-limit theory predicts. Main results Born-transparency law. In the single-mode wave limit (λ >> W) the coherence length obeys the zero-parameter law ξedge = 2W²/[q²Sw(2q)], and the Ziman ray formula underestimates it by a median factor of 10.8. All three scaling exponents are pinned numerically (−1.91±0.06, +1.87±0.08, −1.384±0.095 against the predicted −2, +2, −1.38), and the absolute magnitude to 3.5%, with the residual confirmed as a second-order correction by two independent routes agreeing to 10⁻³. Edge-flatness tolerance relaxes from atomic (≲0.13 nm) to electron-beam-lithography scale (≲1 nm). Falsifiable gap labeling. Twelve gaps carry gap-labeling-theorem indices with median IDOS residual 3×10⁻⁶, against 4×10⁻³ for matched random controls — a 1385× separation, p = 1.4×10⁻³. Full counter-propagating phason pumping. Per-edge spectral flow ±q verified for all twelve gaps up to |q| = 11, including a documented silent-failure mode of eigenvector-overlap branch tracking at in-gap avoided crossings. Working point and experiment. Operating gap at 0.250 THz (W = 30 nm, d = 24.8 nm, L = 20 μm); topology costs 2.20× in localization length relative to a periodic superlattice at matched frequency. An ASOPS acoustic-cavity measurement is proposed, with a built-in opposite-Chern-number control gap at 0.154 THz in the same device. Methods. Hermitian variational boundary-conforming recursive Green's-function transport, validated by three gates (grid convergence, transmission-eigenvalue unitarity, analytic single-bump Born anchor); transfer-matrix Lyapunov spectra; Sturm-count integrated density of states. Three numerical failure modes and the gate that catches each are documented in the text. Scope. Computations use a scalar single-polarization model with h-BN parameters; a scope section in the paper details which conclusions are polarization-generic and which numbers await a full elastic treatment. Companion paper (Paper 1 of the series): Hyperuniform isotope arrangements and the scaling of phonon scattering in hexagonal boron nitride, doi:10.5281/zenodo.21981511.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Aviation Industry Corporation of China (China) (CN), Energoservis (Czechia) (CZ)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Topological Materials and Phenomena
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.