  We use a trial wave function to study the spin-1/2 Kondo effect of a helical
metal on the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator. While the
impurity spin is quenched by conduction electrons, the spin-spin correlation of
the conduction electron and impurity is strongly anisotropic in both spin and
spatial spaces. As a result of strong spin-orbit coupling, the out-of-plane
component of the impurity spin is found to be fully screened by the orbital
angular momentum of the conduction electrons.
