Mini-symposium on the orbital angular momentum at the ECOSS 36

Summary

In recent years, the notion that Bloch wave functions in crystalline solids can carry finite expectation values of orbital angular momentum (OAM) has become an important concept in condensed matter and surface physics. The OAM can, in its simplest conception, be considered an orbital analog of the electron’s spin. It has proven to be a useful observable for understanding the microscopic mechanisms underlying the physics in various types of quantum materials, such as topological insulators and semimetals, transition metal dichalcogenides, and two-dimensional surface systems. Moreover, the OAM has been proposed as an important new quantum degree of freedom that could be of use in so-called orbitronic devices. In this regard, orbital analogs of spintronic phenomena have already been predicted and realized. One key aspect directly related to these features is that the OAM is closely linked to the Berry curvature, which plays a pivotal role in topological materials. Furthermore, the OAM can be addressed experimentally in a momentum-resolved manner, using dichroic angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES).

In this mini-symposium, we would like to bring together the OAM community as well as other interested researchers to share new ideas and further develop the elaborated concepts.

Keynote Speaker

Domenico Di Sante

Speakers

Jakub Schusser

Mengyu Yao

Lukasz Plucinski

Arnab Bose

Organizers

Maximilian Ünzelmann (JMU Würzburg, Germany)
Michael Schüler (Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland)

Image: © ECOSS 36/University of Lodz