Quantized Dislocations

TL;DR

This paper reviews the recent development of the 'dislon' theory, which quantizes dislocations using quantum field theory, enabling advanced quantum-level analysis of materials with defects.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive pedagogical overview of dislon theory, detailing the quantization process, interactions with electronic and phononic systems, and its potential for quantum materials research.

Findings

Dislon theory successfully quantizes dislocations as quantum fields.

The approach reveals new phenomena and predictive capabilities for dislocated materials.

It bridges classical dislocation concepts with quantum many-body physics.

Abstract

A dislocation, just like a phonon, is a type of atomic lattice displacement but subject to an extra topological constraint. However, unlike the phonon which has been quantized for decades, the dislocation has long remained classical. This article is a comprehensive review of the recent progress on quantized dislocations, aka the "dislon" theory. Since the dislon utilizes quantum field theory to solve materials defects problems, we adopt a pedagogical approach to facilitate understanding for both materials science and condensed matter communities. After introducing a few preliminary concepts of dislocations, we focus on the necessity and pathways of dislocation's quantization in great detail, followed by the interaction mechanism between the dislon and materials electronic and phononic degrees of freedom. We emphasize the formality, the new phenomena, and the predictive power. Imagine the leap from classical lattice wave to quantized phonon; the dislon theory may open up vast opportunities to compute dislocated materials at a full quantum many-body level.