  Rashba spin-orbit coupling emerges in materials lacking of structural
inversion symmetry, such as heterostructures, quantum wells, surface alloys and
polar materials, just to mention few examples. It yields a coupling between the
spin and momentum of electrons formally identical to that arising from the
weakly-relativistic limit of the Dirac equation. The purpose of the present
work is to give an overview of the unconventional dc transport properties of
two-dimensional metals with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling, discussing in
addition the effects of thermal broadening.
