Theory of quasi-one-dimensional electron liquids with spin-orbit coupling

We present a model for the study of spin-orbit coupling in interacting quasi-one-dimensional electron systems (Q1DES's) and solve it exactly to find both single- and two-particle characteristics. We show that the combination of spin-orbit coupling and electron-electron interactions results in the replacement of separate spin and charge excitations with two kinds of bosonic mixed-spin-charge excitation, and a characteristic modification of the spectral function and single-particle density of states. Analysis of the two-particle characteristics indicates that as the strength of the spin-orbit coupling is increased it is likely that a Q1DES would undergo a magnetic ordering phase transition. We also study the transport properties of a Q1DES and prove, in particular, that its ballistic conductance is not renormalized by the spin-orbit interaction.