Abstract
A theory of the spin polarization of the secondary electrons in transition metals and glasses is presented. In contrast to the secondary-electron intensity distribution, the spin polarization is shown to yield useful information about the electron-electron interaction. The ratio of the lifetimes of majority- to minority-spin electrons can be determined directly from the measured values of the spin polarization P(E) by (E)/(E)=[(1-)/( 1+)][1+P(E)]/[1-P(E)], where is the bulk magnetization. The theory is applied to both Fe and Ni.
- Received 17 May 1985
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.32.7753
©1985 American Physical Society