  We present theoretical studies of the influence of spin orbit coupling on the
spin wave excitations of the Fe monolayer and bilayer on the W(110) surface.
The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction is active in such films, by virtue of the
absence of reflection symmetry in the plane of the film. When the magnetization
is in plane, this leads to a linear term in the spin wave dispersion relation
for propagation across the magnetization. The dispersion relation thus assumes
a form similar to that of an energy band of an electron trapped on a
semiconductor surfaces with Rashba coupling active. We also show SPEELS
response functions that illustrate the role of spin orbit coupling in such
measurements. In addition to the modifications of the dispersion relations for
spin waves, the presence of spin orbit coupling in the W substrate leads to a
substantial increase in the linewidth of the spin wave modes. The formalism we
have developed applies to a wide range of systems, and the particular system
explored in the numerical calculations provides us with an illustration of
phenomena which will be present in other ultrathin ferromagnet/substrate
combinations.

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics