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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Experimental Methods for Spin- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Combined with Polarization-Variable Laser
Published on: June 28, 2018
Quantum cavity for spin due to spin-orbit interaction at a metal boundary
A Varykhalov1, J Sánchez-Barriga, A M Shikin
1Helmholtz-Zentrum für Materialien und Energie, Elektronenspeicherring BESSY II, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
A quantum cavity for spin is created using a tungsten crystal as substrate of high nuclear charge and breaking the structural inversion symmetry through deposition of a gold quantum film. Spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy shows directly that quantum-well states and the "matrioshka" or Russian nested doll Fermi surface of the gold film are spin polarized and spin-orbit split up to a thickness of at least nine atomic layers. Ferromagnetic materials or external magnetic fields are not required, and the quantum film does not need to possess a high atomic number as analogous results with silver show.
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