New perspective on giant Rahba effect

Abstract

The giant Rashba splitting on Bi/Ag(111) alloy surface which is two order of amplitude larger than Rashba on Au(111) surface has been reported from the experiment. [1] From the DFT calculations, it has been known that the amplitude of the splitting depends on the distance between Bi and Ag on surface, but the reason for that is still obscure. [2] Some proposals were made to explain the giant Rashba such as the role of in-plane potential gradient, very strong surface electric field and spin-orbit coupling. [1,3,4] However, the origin of the giant Rashba splitting has not been disclosed clearly and there must be unrevealed mechanism to explain it. In this study based on DFT calculation, we would give a new perspective on giant Rashba effect.