Experimental Evidence of t_{2g} Electron-Gas Rashba Interaction Induced by Asymmetric Orbital Hybridization

Phys Rev Lett. 2022 Oct 28;129(18):187203. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.187203.

Abstract

We report the control of Rashba spin-orbit interaction by tuning asymmetric hybridization between Ti orbitals at the LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} interface. This asymmetric orbital hybridization is modulated by introducing a LaFeO_{3} layer between LaAlO_{3} and SrTiO_{3}, which alters the Ti-O lattice polarization and traps interfacial charge carriers, resulting in a large Rashba spin-orbit effect at the interface in the absence of an external bias. This observation is verified through high-resolution electron microscopy, magnetotransport and first-principles calculations. Our results open hitherto unexplored avenues of controlling Rashba interaction to design next-generation spin orbitronics.