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Sign of the Rashba parameter in image-potential states

Fabian Schöttke1,*, Kaishu Kawaguchi2, Kenta Kuroda3,4,5, Peter Krüger6, Thorsten Deilmann6, Ayumi Harasawa2, Shuntaro Tani2, Yohei Kobayashi2, Takeshi Kondo2,7 et al.

Markus Donath1,†

  • *Contact author: fabian.schoettke@uni-muenster.de
  • †Contact author: markus.donath@uni-muenster.de
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Phys. Rev. B 114, 185106 – Published 4 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/skxr-hb16

Abstract

Image-potential surface states are simple model systems, where spin-dependent effects can be studied in view of spintronic applications. The Rashba effect in surface states at high-Z materials is related to both the strong spin-orbit interaction in heavy atoms and the orbital angular momentum arising from the inversion-symmetry breaking at the surface. Our study on image-potential states at Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3 showcases that the orbital angular momentum causes an intrinsically reversed Rashba parameter αR≈−100meVÅ, i.e., a reversed spin splitting compared with the prototypical Rashba-split Au(111) crystal-induced surface state. We present a consistent picture of spin-resolved experimental data from inverse photoemission and three-photon photoemission together with calculations from density-functional theory and many-body perturbation theory.

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Phys. Rev. B 114, 185106– Published 4 September, 2026
  • Received 20 November 2025
  • Revised 30 March 2026
  • Accepted 21 July 2026
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