MAGNETOCONDUCTANCE OF ANDERSON INSULATORS IN THE PRESENCE OF STRONG SPIN-ORBIT SCATTERING - A SIMPLE APPROACH

We present a heuristic theory to understand the effect of spin-orbit scattering on the localization length-xi in Anderson insulators. In one-dimensional geometries, and in the limit of strong spin-orbit scattering, we find that xi is halved when a magnetic field is applied. This result was recently derived through random matrix theory. Within our theory, this simple <<factor two>> does not hold for films or bulk samples, at least when the localization length is much larger than the mean free path.