Skip to main content

Phonon Junction Explorer (PhononViz)

Built this interactive Phonon Junction Explorer to help make Dr. Eduardo Cuansing and Rafael Bautista's latest arXiv paper more intuitive: it combines LaTeX-rendered equations, a 3D animated junction view, live transport charts, and interactive controls (temperature, coupling, asymmetry, direction, and frequency factors) so you can see theory and behavior update together in real time.

Phonon Junction Explorer interface

Problem​

Advanced transport papers are often hard to absorb for non-specialists because equations, assumptions, and outcomes are separated across sections and static figures. Readers need a way to connect the math to behavior without manually re-deriving each parameter change.

Solution​

Create an explorable interface where equations and simulation behavior stay in sync:

  • Render equations clearly in-browser with LaTeX support.
  • Use a 3D junction visualization to communicate system structure.
  • Plot transport behavior in live-updating charts.
  • Expose the key parameters so readers can test intuition quickly.

Impact​

  • Makes the paper easier to discuss in classes, labs, and demos.
  • Helps bridge theoretical expressions with observable trends.
  • Speeds up exploratory learning for readers and collaborators.

Lessons learned​

  • Scientific interfaces benefit from showing equations + visuals + controls together.
  • Tight feedback loops make complex domains feel approachable.
  • Building this reminded me how my undergrad thesis took months to implement a similar interactive interface from scratch, while modern tooling now enables early prototypes in minutes.

Tech stack​

  • Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript, HTML, and CSS (no framework)
  • Visualization: 3D scene + charting workflow for transport behavior
  • Math rendering: LaTeX in-browser equation display