Spin-dependent electron scattering in ferromagnetic Co layers on Cu(111).

Abstract

By means of spin-resolved photoemission we have studied the spin and energy dependence of electron scattering in ferromagnetic Co overlayers epitaxially grown on Cu(111). Taking advantage of the tunability of the synchrotron radiation, the kinetic energy of the electrons propagating inside the solid could be varied between 7 and 50 eV. For all the coverages studied we found that the attenuation length is larger for majority-spin electrons than for minority-spin electrons. A comparison with theoretical models indicates that the observed spin-dependent effects originate from inelastic rather than elastic-scattering processes.