  Spin-orbit coupling is a manifestation of special relativity. In the
reference frame of a moving electron, electric fields transform into magnetic
fields, which interact with the electron spin and lift the degeneracy of
spin-up and spin-down states. In solid-state systems, the resulting spin-orbit
fields are referred to as Dresselhaus or Rashba fields, depending on whether
the electric fields originate from bulk or structure inversion asymmetry,
respectively. Yet, it remains a challenge to determine the absolute value of
both contributions in a single sample. Here we show that both fields can be
measured by optically monitoring the angular dependence of the electrons' spin
precession on their direction of movement with respect to the crystal lattice.
Furthermore, we demonstrate spin resonance induced by the spin-orbit fields. We
apply our method to GaAs/InGaAs quantum-well electrons, but it can be used
universally to characterise spin-orbit interactions in semiconductors,
facilitating the design of spintronic devices.
