Rashba induced magnetoconductance oscillations in the LaAlO3-SrTiO3 heterostructure

Abstract

We report measurements of the normal state in-plane magnetoconductance in gated LaAlO$_3$-SrTiO$_3$ samples. As the orientation of the magnetic field changes within the plane of the interface, the signal displays periodic oscillations with respect to the angle between the field and the direction of the current. We show that in the underdoped to optimally doped range, a Fermi surface reconstruction takes place due to the Rashba spin-orbit term and that the oscillations are due to a magnetic field induced opening and closing of a gap at the $\Gamma$ point for those Ti out-of-plane orbitals having their band minimum close to the Fermi energy of the system.