Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Experimental Methods for Spin- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Combined with Polarization-Variable Laser
Published on: June 28, 2018
Rashba-type spin-orbit splitting of quantum well states in ultrathin Pb films
J Hugo Dil1, Fabian Meier, Jorge Lobo-Checa
1Physik-Institut, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
A Rashba-type spin-orbit splitting is found for quantum well states formed in ultrathin Pb films on Si (111). The resulting momentum splitting is comparable to what is found for semiconductor heterostructures. The splitting shows no coverage dependency and the sign of the spin polarization is reversed compared to Rashba splitting in the Au(111) surface state. We explain our results by competing effects at the two boundaries of the Pb layer.
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview
The Pauli Exclusion Principle
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Valence Bond Theory
Energy Bands in Solids
Band Formation:
When atoms are brought close together, as in a solid, these discrete energy levels begin to split due to the overlap of electron orbitals from adjacent atoms. This split occurs because of the Pauli exclusion principle, which states that no two...

