Neel vector dependent orbital Hall effect in altermagnetic RuO2

Abstract

Orbital Hall effect in the altermagnetic RuO2 is theoretically investigated. Transport calculations using the Kubo formula with a first-principles tight-binding model present a significant orbital Hall conductivity depending on the direction of the Neel vector. An pertuabative analysis explaines the mechanism by two roles of the spin-orbit interaction: converting the spin current into the parallelly polarized orbital current; recovering the orbital angular momentum anisotropically under the orthorhombic ligand field on the Ru sites. From an application perspective, this effect provides a promising method of generating orbital currents polarizing to arbitrary directions, realising an orbital source offering both controllability and efficiency.