Magnetically controlled impurities in quantum wires with strong Rashba coupling

We investigate the effect of strong spin-orbit interaction on the electronic transport through nonmagnetic impurities in one-dimensional systems. When a perpendicular magnetic field is applied, the electron spin polarization becomes momentum-dependent and spin-flip scattering appears, to first order in the applied field, in addition to the usual potential scattering. We analyze a situation in which, by tuning the Fermi level and the Rashba coupling, the magnetic field can suppress the potential scattering. This mechanism should give rise to a significant magnetoresistance in the limit of large barriers.