Spin-dependent localization of electrons in low-dimensional systems

Possibilities of spatial localization of spin-polarized electrons due to spin–orbit interaction are investigated theoretically. Situations most interesting for us are the ones where electrons of one spin state (helicity) are localized while the opposite helicity relates to extended wave functions. On examples of simplest short range potentials it is shown that such spin separation is, in principle, possible. Magnetic properties of electrons bound to a shallow 2D axially symmetric well are considered. Accounting for the spin–orbit contribution results in an anomalously large effective g-factor of this system.