  We use the self-consistent mean-field theory to analyze the effects of
Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling (SOC) on the ground-state phase diagram of
population-imbalanced Fermi gases throughout the BCS-BEC evolution. We find
that the SOC and population imbalance are counteracting, and that this
competition tends to stabilize the uniform superfluid phase against the phase
separation. However, we also show that the SOC stabilizes (destabilizes) the
uniform superfluid phase against the normal phase for low (high) population
imbalances. In addition, we find topological quantum phase transitions
associated with the appearance of momentum space regions with zero
quasiparticle energies, and study their signatures in the momentum
distribution.
