Electron density magnification of the collective spin-orbit field in quantum wells

Overview & Synopsis

The spin-orbit field acting on the spin waves of a spin-polarized electron gas is studied by in-elastic light scattering on a CdMnTe quantum well. Above-barrier illumination allows us to vary the electronic density and control the collective Rashba and Dresselhaus coupling constants. We demonstrate that the enhancement between the single-particle and the collective spin-orbit field increases with increasing electronic density. This result is reproduced by a first-principles calculation. This behavior, which is opposite to usual Coulombic spin enhancements, reveals a novel aspect of the interplay of spin-orbit and Coulomb interactions in collective spin modes.