Dresden 2003 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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MA: Magnetismus

MA 30: Spinabh
ängige Transportph
änomene II

MA 30.6: Vortrag

Freitag, 28. März 2003, 12:00–12:15, HSZ/401

Spin motion in electron transmission through ultrathin magnetic films: Access by photoelectron spectroscopy — •Jürgen Henk, Peter Bose, Thomas Michael, and Patrick Bruno — Max-Planck-Institut für Mikrostrukturphysik, Halle (Saale)

Spin-dependent scattering in ultrathin films and at interfaces can significantly influence the magneto-electronic transport in nanodevices. One important effect is the so-called spin motion, i. e., the spatial change of the electron spin polarization (ESP) of the transmitted electrons. In order to probe microscopically the spin motion, we performed ‘theoretical experiments’ on electron transmission through ultrathin ferromagnetic films that base on spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy from core levels.

For ultrathin Fe films on Pd(001), photoemission intensities and the ESP depend strongly on the film thickness and on the electronic structures of the substrate and of the film. Our analysis reveals the origins of the ESP rotation around the magnetization (spin precession) and its relaxation towards the magnetization (spin filter). Pronounced features in the spin-motion spectra are related to the electronic structure of the Fe film and to multiple scattering at the film boundaries. The essential results obtained by our first-principles calculations within the framework of spin-polarized relativistic layer-KKR are confirmed by model calculations. Advantages and shortcomings of our approach to access the spin motion are discussed.