Long-range transport versus local generation in orbitronics

Abstract The emerging field of orbitronics seeks to harness the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of electrons as an information carrier, offering new opportunities for next-generation memory and logic technologies. A central question for its viability is whether OAM currents can propagate efficiently across materials. Recent experiments have revealed highly nonlocal orbital transport phenomena, with characteristic lengths extending to several tens of nanometers—far beyond expectations based on conventional orbital quenching. These findings have fueled a theoretical debate with two opposing paradigms. One posits that genuine long-range transport arises from symmetry-protected hot spots in the electronic band structure, which preserve OAM coherence. The other contends that OAM currents are intrinsically short-lived, and that the observed long-range signatures originate instead from the local generation of orbital polarization by charge current gradients near boundaries. This perspective reviews the experimental evidence and theoretical foundations of both views, outlining the future research strategies needed to resolve this fundamental issue in orbitronics.