Chirality-Driven Orbital Angular Momentum and Circular Dichroism in CoSi

Chiral crystals and molecules were recently predicted to form an intriguing platform for unconventional orbital physics. Here, we report the observation of chirality-driven orbital textures in the bulk electronic structure of CoSi, a prototype member of the cubic B20 family of chiral crystals. Using circular dichroism in soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission, we demonstrate the formation of a bulk orbital-angular-momentum texture and monopolelike orbital-momentum locking that depends on crystal handedness. We introduce the intrinsic chiral circular dichroism, icCD, as a differential photoemission observable and a natural probe of chiral electron states. Our findings render chiral crystals promising for spin-orbitronics applications.Received 5 February 2024Accepted 20 March 2024DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.196402© 2024 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasElectronic structureTechniquesPhotoemissionCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics