Nonlocal electrical detection of reciprocal orbital Edelstein effect.

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Spintronics and Orbitronics

Background:

• The orbital Edelstein effect and orbital Hall effect enable charge current to induce orbital angular momentum, crucial for nanomagnet manipulation.
• Understanding Onsager's reciprocity in orbital transport is essential but remains largely unexplored.
• Current research faces limitations with local measurements for orbital accumulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally demonstrate Onsager's reciprocity in orbital transport within an orbital Edelstein system.
• To precisely measure chemical potential from orbital accumulation using nonlocal techniques.
• To investigate the temperature dependence of orbital transport properties.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nonlocal measurements to study the orbital Edelstein effect.
• Precisely identified chemical potential generated by orbital accumulation, overcoming local measurement limitations.
• Measured direct and inverse orbital-charge conversion processes.

Main Results:

• Confirmed Onsager's reciprocity by observing identical electric voltages from direct and inverse orbital-charge conversion.
• Determined an orbital decay length of approximately 100 nm at room temperature.
• Found the orbital decay length to be independent of copper thickness but temperature-dependent, contrasting with spin transport.

Conclusions:

• Provided experimental validation of Onsager's reciprocity for orbital transport.
• Offered insights into charge-orbital interconversion reciprocity and nonlocal orbital correlations.
• Established a foundation for developing orbitronics devices with enhanced long-range connectivity.