We have studied the BiCu 2 /Cu(111) surface alloy using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. We observed standing waves caused by scattering off defects and step edges. Different from previous studies on similar Rashba-type surfaces, we identified multiple scattering vectors that originate from various intraband as well as interband scattering processes. A detailed energy-dependent analysis of the standing-wave patterns enables a quantitative determination of band dispersions, including the Rashba splitting. The results are in good agreement with ARPES data and demonstrate the usefulness of this strategy to determine the band structure of Rashba systems. The lack of other possible scattering channels will be discussed in terms of spin conservation and hybridization effects. The results open new possibilities to study spin-dependent scattering on complex spin-orbit coupled surfaces.The Bychkov-Rashba effect lifts the spin-degeneracy at surfaces and interfaces in environments with a sizeable spin-orbit interaction [1]. Up to date, many different systems with various kinds of splitting strengths have been identified [2][3][4]. Its characteristic band dispersion is readily recognizable in angular resolved photoemission experiments and generally good agreement is achieved between theoretical calculations and experimentally observed electronic structures [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The Rashba parameter can also be extracted from the local density of states measured by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) [12]. However,
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.