Proper Theory of Magnon Orbital Angular Momentum

Abstract: The orbital motion of chargeless bosons, unlike that of electrons, does not generate a magnetic moment and thus cannot directly interact with magnetic fields. Utilizing the Aharonov-Casher effect and perturbation theory, we formulate a proper theory for the magnon orbital angular momentum (OAM) at finite temperatures, explicitly identifying both self-rotation and topological contributions, analogous to the electronic counterpart but with correct bosonic statistics. Comparing with previous studies on magnon OAM, the magnon spin Nernst effect can only be correctly reproduced using the proper theory for magnon OAM. In a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice, we show that the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction induces a large magnon OAM in both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic ground states. Our formulation provides a foundation for studying orbital dynamics of chargeless bosons with intrinsic spin.