Spin polarization of surface states on W(1 1 0): Combined influence of spin–orbit interaction and hybridization.

The surface of W(1 1 0) exhibits a flattened Dirac-cone-like surface state S 1 with a remarkable spin texture within a spin–orbit-induced symmetry gap. Along Γ S ¯ , S 1 hybridizes spin-selectively with an almost spin-degenerate surface state S 2 . Beyond the spin-selective hybridization point, the surface state S 2 exhibits a spin splitting with a change of the spin polarization at the band bottom. For normal electron emission, S 1 shows spin-dependent intensities depending on the experimental geometry. This behavior is understood as a consequence of a mixed Σ 1 and Σ 3 symmetry of the state. This finding opens a new pathway to studies of the orbital symmetry of electronic states in solids with spin–orbit interaction, without the need of polarization-dependent ARPES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]