Regensburg 2004 – scientific programme

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O: Oberflächenphysik

O 11: Elektronische Struktur (Experiment und Theorie) I

O 11.9: Talk

Monday, March 8, 2004, 17:45–18:00, H44

Spin polarization of the L-gap surface states on Au(111) — •Jürgen Henk, Arthur Ernst, and Patrick Bruno — MPI für Mikrostrukturphysik, Halle (Saale), Germany

The electron spin polarization (ESP) of the L-gap surface states on Au(111) is investigated theoretically by means of first-principles electronic-structure and photoemission calculations. The surface states show a large spin-orbit induced in-plane ESP which is perpendicular to the in-plane wavevector, in close analogy to a two-dimensional electron gas with Rashba spin-orbit interaction. The surface corrugation, i. e., the in-plane asymmetry of the surface potential in the (1× 1) unit cell, leads to a small ESP component normal to the surface, being not reported so far. The surface-states ESP can be probed qualitatively and quantitatively by spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, provided that the initial-state ESP is retained in the photoemission process and not obscured by spin-orbit induced polarization effects. Relativistic photoemission calculations provide detailed information on what photoemission set-ups allow to conclude from the photoelectron ESP on that of the surface states.