Orbital magnetization from interface reflections in a conductor with charge current

TL;DR

This paper predicts a novel interface-induced orbital magnetization in conductors with charge current, caused by skew scattering at the boundary, detectable via Kerr effect, and independent of bulk symmetry breaking or Hall effects.

Contribution

It introduces a new mechanism for generating orbital magnetization at interfaces through skew scattering, distinct from known Hall and Edelstein effects.

Findings

Orbital magnetization is maximized at the interface.

Magnetization varies linearly perpendicular to the interface.

Effect detectable via Kerr measurements up to the phase coherence length.

Abstract

We propose that a high-quality flat interface or boundary can serve as a long-range skew scatterer for charged quasiparticles in a metal. When an electric current flows parallel to the interface, the balance between clockwise and counterclockwise reflections is disrupted, leading to a net orbital magnetization. This magnetization is maximized at the interface and varies linearly in the direction perpendicular to it. We suggest that this effect can be detected using spatially resolved Kerr effect measurements at distances up to the electron phase coherence length from the interface. Unlike the orbital Hall and orbital Edelstein effects, the proposed phenomenon does not require inversion symmetry breaking in the bulk of the sample and is unrelated to Hall effect physics.