Observation of mechanical kink control and generation via phonons

Kinks are localized transitions between topologically distinct ground states and play a key role across many physical systems. While phonon wave packets (small-amplitude vibrational excitations) are predicted to drive kink motion deterministically, experimental evidence has remained elusive. This challenge mainly arises from the discrete nature of real materials, where the Peierls-Nabarro (PN) barrier hinders controlled phonon-kink interactions. Here we report the experimental observation of phonon-mediated control and generation of mechanical kinks in a topological metamaterial that eliminates the PN barrier by supporting a zero-energy kink. Computational analysis further reveals distinctive phonon-kink dynamics, including long-duration kink motion and a continuous family of internal modes---features absent in conventional discrete nonlinear systems. These results establish a new paradigm for kink control and suggest opportunities for tunable stiffness, shape morphing, locomotion, and robust signal transmission in mechanical metamaterials.