title: Proximity effects of a symmetry-breaking interface on spins of photoexcited electrons.
abstract: We study reflection of optically spin-oriented hot electrons as a means to probe the semiconductor crystal symmetry and its intimate relation with the spin-orbit coupling. The symmetry breaking by reflection manifests itself by tipping the net-spin vector of the photoexcited electrons out of the light propagation direction. The tipping angle and the pointing direction of the net-spin vector are set by the crystal-induced spin precession, momentum alignment, and spin-momentum correlation of the initial photoexcited electron population. We examine nonmagnetic semiconductor heterostructures and semiconductor-ferromagnet systems and show the unique signatures of these effects.
authors: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA. lan.qing@rochester.edu
authors: Lan
authors: L
authors: Qing
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Song
authors: Hanan
authors: H
authors: Dery