Observation of second sound in a rapidly varying temperature field in Ge
Albert Beardo, Miquel López-Suárez, Luis A. Pérez, Lluc Sendra, M. I. Alonso, Claudio Melis, J. Bafaluy, J. Camacho, Luciano Colombo, Riccardo Rurali, F. X. Álvarez, J. S. Reparaz
Abstract
Second sound is known as the thermal transport regime where heat is carried by temperature waves. Its experimental observation was previously restricted to a small number of materials, usually in rather narrow temperature windows. We show that it is possible to overcome these limitations by driving the system with a rapidly varying temperature field. High-frequency second sound is demonstrated in bulk natural Ge between 7 K and room temperature by studying the phase lag of the thermal response under a harmonic high-frequency external thermal excitation and addressing the relaxation time and the propagation velocity of the heat waves. These results provide a route to investigate the potential of wave-like heat transport in almost any material, opening opportunities to control heat through its oscillatory nature.