Signatures of a surface spin-orbital chiral metal. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38326617/)

These scientists wanted to understand a special kind of matter called unconventional phases. They were especially interested in a type of magnetism that has a twist in its electronic structure. But it was difficult for them to see this kind of magnetism in experiments before.

So, they came up with a theory to explain how this twisted magnetism works and how it affects the behavior of electrons. To test their theory, they chose a material called Sr(2)RuO(4) which is known to have these twisted magnetism properties.

To study this material, they used a special technique called circularly polarized, spin-selective, angular-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. It's a big name, but it means they used a special kind of light to look at the electrons in the material.

When they looked at the material using this technique, they found some very subtle signs that matched their theory. These signs showed that there were twisted currents of electrons on the surface of the material.

By discovering these twisted currents, the scientists have learned more about how this special kind of magnetism works. This knowledge will help them understand other similar materials and how they behave in different situations.

Mazzola F., Brzezicki W., Mercaldo MT., Guarino A., Bigi C., Miwa JA., De Fazio D., Crepaldi A., Fujii J., Rossi G., Orgiani P., Chaluvadi SK., Chalil SP., Panaccione G., Jana A., Polewczyk V., Vobornik I., Kim C., Miletto-Granozio F., Fittipaldi R., Ortix C., Cuoco M., Vecchione A. Signatures of a surface spin-orbital chiral metal. Nature. 2024 Feb 7. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07033-8.