Imaging Orbital Vortex Lines in Three-Dimensional Momentum Space

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • T. Figgemeier - , University of Würzburg (Author)
  • M. Ünzelmann - , University of Würzburg, Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat (Author)
  • P. Eck - , University of Würzburg, Kiel University (Author)
  • J. Schusser - , University of Würzburg, University of West Bohemia (Author)
  • L. Crippa - , University of Würzburg (Author)
  • J. N. Neu - , Florida State University (Author)
  • B. Geldiyev - , University of Würzburg (Author)
  • P. Kagerer - , University of Würzburg (Author)
  • J. Buck - , Kiel University (Author)
  • M. Kalläne - , Kiel University (Author)
  • M. Hoesch - , German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) (Author)
  • K. Rossnagel - , Kiel University, German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) (Author)
  • T. Siegrist - , Florida State University (Author)
  • L. K. Lim - , Zhejiang University (Author)
  • R. Moessner - , Max-Planck-Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat (Author)
  • G. Sangiovanni - , University of Würzburg (Author)
  • D. Di Sante - , University of Bologna (Author)
  • F. Reinert - , University of Würzburg (Author)
  • H. Bentmann - , University of Würzburg, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Author)

Abstract

We report the experimental discovery of orbital vortex lines in the three-dimensional (3D) band structure of a topological semimetal. Combining linear and circular dichroism in soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission (SX-ARPES) with first-principles theory, we image the winding of atomic orbital angular momentum, thereby revealing - and determining the location of - lines of vorticity in full 3D momentum space. We determine the core of the orbital angular momentum vortex to host an almost movable, twofold, spin-degenerate Weyl nodal line, a topological feature predicted to occur in certain nonsymmorphic crystals. These results establish bimodal dichroism in SX-ARPES as a robust approach to trace 3D orbital textures. Our findings constitute the first imaging of nontrivial quantum-phase winding at line nodes and may pave the way to new orbitronic phenomena in quantum materials.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number011032
JournalPhysical Review X
Volume15
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas