Anti-symmetric Compton scattering in LiNiPO$_4$: Towards a direct probe of the magneto-electric multipole moment

We present a combined theoretical and experimental investigation of the anti-symmetric Compton profile in LiNiPO$_4$ as a possible probe for magneto-electric toroidal moments. Understanding as well as detecting such magneto-electric multipoles is an active area of research in condensed matter physics. Our calculations, based on density functional theory, indicate an anti-symmetric Compton profile in the direction of the $t_y$ toroidal moment in momentum space, with the computed anti-symmetric profile around four orders of magnitude smaller than the total profile. The difference signal that we measure is consistent with the computed profile, but of the same order of magnitude as the statistical errors and systematic uncertainties of the experiment. Our results motivate further theoretical work to understand the factors that influence the size of the anti-symmetric Compton profile, and to identify materials exhibiting larger effects.