Spin-polarized Low-energy Electron Diffraction Research Articles

Time reversal and spatial symmetries in spin-polarized low-energy electron diffraction

Time reversal and spatial symmetries impose restrictions on spin-orbit-induced polarization effects in low-energy electron diffraction from single crystal surfaces. General predictions are derived concerning the spin polarization vector after diffraction, the scattering asymmetry vector for oppositely polarized primary beams and relations between these two quantities.

Theory of spin-polarized low-energy electron diffraction from ferromagnetics

A theory of elastic scattering of low-energy electrons is outlined, in which the electron-solid interaction contains two spin-dependent contributions: an elastic exchange-correlation part in the real ion-core potential and an inelastic imaginary part describing electron-hole excitation. Numerical calculations for the Fe(110) surface predict, for an unpolarized primary beam, large spin polarization effects (up to 60%), which are highly sensitive to the magnetization of the topmost stomic layer.