Observation of orbital-angular-momentum-driven temperature modulation via the spin Peltier effect

Abstract

Angular-momentum transport provides a pathway for controlling energy flow in solids beyond conventional charge-based mechanisms. Although spin currents are known to mediate spin-caloritronic phenomena such as the spin Peltier effect (SPE), the role of orbital angular momentum (OAM) in heat transport remains largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate OAM-driven temperature modulation via the SPE in yttrium-iron-garnet/Pt/CuO x heterostructures. Using wedge-shaped CuO x layers combined with spatially resolved active thermal measurement techniques, we map the continuous thickness dependence and quantitatively disentangle the spin- and orbital-current-mediated contributions within a single device. The orbital-mediated component exhibits a pronounced maximum at an intermediate thickness, revealing a characteristic length scale for interfacial OAM generation and propagation at the Cu/CuO x interface. These results provide direct experimental evidence that charge-current-driven OAM can drive SPE-induced temperature modulation, establishing interfacial orbital processes as an additional channel for heat transport and providing a pathway toward spin-orbit caloritronics.