Multiple Scattering Theory for Two-dimensional Electron Gases in the Presence of Spin-Orbit Coupling

TL;DR

This paper develops a partial-wave scattering theory for 2D electron gases with spin-orbit coupling, revealing spin interference effects that could be observed in electron flow imaging experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a general partial-wave expansion method to model electron scattering with spin-orbit coupling in 2D systems, enabling new insights into spin interference phenomena.

Findings

Spin interference effects arise due to Rashba coupling in unpolarized electrons.

The theory applies to electron flow imaging experiments with scanning probe microscopes.

Spin effects are observable even at nonzero temperature and without magnetic fields.

Abstract

In order to model the phase-coherent scattering of electrons in two-dimensional electron gases in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling, a general partial-wave expansion is developed for scattering from a cylindrically symmetric potential. The theory is applied to possible electron flow imaging experiments using a moveable scanning probe microscope tip. In such experiments, it is demonstrated theoretically that the Rashba spin-orbit coupling can give rise to spin interference effects, even for unpolarized electrons at nonzero temperature and no magnetic field.