  We explore the impact of a Rashba-type spin-orbit interaction in the
conduction band on the spin dynamics of hot excitons in diluted magnetic
semiconductor quantum wells. In materials with strong spin-orbit coupling, we
identify parameter regimes where spin-orbit effects greatly accelerate the spin
decay and even change the dynamics qualitatively in the form of damped
oscillations. Furthermore, we show that the application of a small external
magnetic field can be used to either mitigate the influence of spin-orbit
coupling or entirely remove its effects for fields above a material-dependent
threshold.
