  In this article we present a method to compute the scattering states of holes
in spherical bands in the strong spin-orbit coupling regime. More precisely, we
calculate scattering phase shifts and amplitudes of holes induced by defects in
a semiconductor crystal. We follow a previous work done on this topic by Ralph
[H. I. Ralph, Philips Res. Rept. 32 160 (1977)] to account for the p-wave
nature and the coupling of valence band states. We extend Ralph's analysis to
incorporate finite-range potentials in the scattering problem. We find that the
variable phase method provides a very convenient framework for our purposes and
show in detail how scattering amplitudes and phase shifts are obtained. The
Green's matrix of the Schroedinger equation, the Lippmann-Schwinger equation
and the Born approximation are also discussed. Examples are provided to
illustrate our calculations with Yukawa type potentials.
