Analysis of Magnetic and Non-Magnetic Surfaces by Spin-Polarized Low-Energy Electron Diffraction

Abstract

A survey is given of most recent progress in harnessing electron spin polarization for the study of crystalline surfaces by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). Spin-polarized LEED from non-magnetic surfaces has been extended both experimentally and theoretically to low-Z surfaces, for which spin-orbit coupling is weak, to adsorbate systems, and to very low energies, where fine structure effects associated with the surface potential barrier are prominent. For ferromagnetic transition metal surfaces, measurement of the exchange-induced scattering asymmetry has revealed the surface Curie temperature and the critical exponent of the surface magnetization. At lower temperature, comparison with corresponding calculated exchange asymmetry profiles has successfully been employed for the determination of the layer dependence of the magnetization in the surface region.