  We report the direct observation of interband spin-orbit (SO) coupling in a
two-dimensional (2D) surface electron system, in addition to the anticipated
Rashba spin splitting. Using angle-resolved photoemission experiments and
first-principles calculations on Bi/Ag/Au heterostructures we show that the
effect strongly modifies the dispersion as well as the orbital and spin
character of the 2D electronic states, thus giving rise to considerable
deviations from the Rashba model. The strength of the interband SO coupling is
tuned by the thickness of the thin film structures.
