  The relation between crystal symmetries, electron correlations, and
electronic structure steers the formation of a large array of unconventional
phases of matter, including magneto-electric loop currents and chiral
magnetism. Detection of such hidden orders is a major goal in condensed matter
physics. However, to date, nonstandard forms of magnetism with chiral
electronic ordering have been experimentally elusive. Here, we develop a theory
for symmetry-broken chiral ground states and propose a methodology based on
circularly polarized spin-selective angular-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy
to probe them. We exploit the archetypal quantum material Sr2RuO4 and reveal
spectroscopic signatures which, even though subtle, may be reconciled with the
formation of spin-orbital chiral currents at the material surface. As we shed
light on these chiral regimes, our findings pave the way for a deeper
understanding of ordering phenomena and unconventional magnetism.
