Orbital Accumulation Induced by Chiral Phonons
arXiv:2511.11272 · doi:10.1103/2yqn-cyzg
The paper theoretically examines how chiral phonons can generate orbital accumulation in solids through orbital‑dependent electron‑lattice coupling, deriving a second‑order response formula that predicts static orbital dipole buildup without relying on spin‑orbit interactions.
Abstract
We theoretically investigate orbital accumulation driven by chiral phonons via orbital-dependent electron-lattice coupling. We derive a formula for the orbital accumulation induced by classical lattice dynamics or nonequilibrium phonons, emphasizing the rectified second-order response of the orbital moment to lattice displacement. We show that chiral phonons primarily couple to orbital quadrupole moments and that static orbital dipole accumulation can be generated at second order in the lattice displacement. Our study provides a useful method for generating orbital accumulation without using spin-orbit interactions and suggests a strategy to boost its magnitude by harnessing band structure hot spots associated with orbital degeneracy.
25 pages, 6 figures