Inelastic-impurity-scattering-induced spin texture and topological transitions in surface electron waves

Abstract

Inelastic scattering off magnetic impurities in a spin-chiral two-dimensional electron gas, e.g., the Rashba system, is shown to generate topological changes in the spin texture of the electron waves emanating from the scattering center. While elastic scattering gives rise to a purely in-plane spin texture for an in-plane magnetic scat- tering potential, out-of-plane components emerge upon activation of inelastic scattering processes. This property leads to a possibility to make controlled transitions between trivial and nontrivial topologies of the spin texture.