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arXiv · 2502.13977

Purely Electronic Chirality without Structural Chirality

Takayuki Ishitobi·Kazumasa Hattori
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Abstract

We introduce the concept of purely electronic chirality (PEC), which arises in the absence of structural chirality. In condensed matter physics and chemistry, chirality has conventionally been understood as a mirror-image asymmetry in crystal or molecular structures. We demonstrate that certain electronic orders exhibit chirality-related properties without atomic displacement. Specifically, we investigate quadrupole orders to realize such purely electronic chirality with handedness that can be tuned by magnetic fields. As a representative example, we analyze a model featuring $120^circ$ antiferro quadrupole orders on a distorted kagom\'e lattice, predicting various chirality-related responses in the nonmagnetic ordered phase of URhSn. Furthermore, as a phonon analog, chiral phonons can emerge in achiral crystals through coupling with the PEC order. Our results provide a distinct origin of chirality and a fundamental basis for exploring the interplay between electronic and structural chirality.

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Takayuki Ishitobi, Kazumasa Hattori. 2025-02-17. Purely Electronic Chirality without Structural Chirality. https://doi.org/10.1103/dc1q-xzbd

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