Dresden 2011 – scientific programme
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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 32: Spin-Orbit Interaction at Surfaces II
O 32.4: Talk
Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 12:00–12:15, WIL C307
Visualizing spin-dependent scattering in strong spin-orbit systems — •Anna Strozecka1, Asier Eiguren2, and Jose Ignacio Pascual1 — 1Institut für Experimentalphysik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany — 2Dpto. Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao, Spain
For surfaces which exhibit spin-orbit coupling, electrons originating from spin polarized surface bands are protected against backscattering by time reversal symmetry. Electron interference patterns observed in STM confirm the chiral spin texture of the surface Fermi contours of such materials and reveal the dominant role of spin in the scattering processes. Using a combined experimental and theoretical approach, we distinguish the role of spin in the electron scattering processes on Bi(110). By spectroscopic imaging of the local density of states in STM, we studied the energy dependence of the interference patterns formed around single adsorbates. Simulations based on Green`s functions correctly reproduce the interference patterns, unveiling the role of spin in the interference process and allowing identification of the dominant scattering events.