Derivation of effective spin-orbit Hamiltonians and spin lifetimes with application to SrTiO3 heterostructures

A general approach is derived for constructing an effective spin-orbit Hamiltonian for nonmagnetic materials, which is useful for calculating spin-dependent properties near an arbitrary point in momentum space with pseudospin degeneracy. The formalism is verified through comparisons with other approaches for III-V semiconductors, and its general applicability is illustrated by deriving the spin-orbit interaction and predicting spin lifetimes for strained SrTiO3 and a two-dimensional electron gas in SrTiO3 (such as at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface). These results suggest robust spin coherence and spin transport properties in SrTiO3-based materials at room temperature.