Spin Polarized Low Energy Electron Microscopy is used as a spin dependent spectroscopic probe to study the spin dependent specular reflection of a polarized electron beam from two different magnetic thin film systems: Fe/W(110) and Co/W(110). The reflectivity and spin-dependent exchange-scattering asymmetry are studied as a function of electron kinetic energy and film thickness, as well as the time dependence.

In Panels (a) and (b) show example of SPLEEM images of Co/W(110) and Fe/W(110) films, respectively. For both films  the magnetic easy axis points along the horizontal direction in the images. Both images were recorded with electron spin polarization aligned to the right (white arrow). The magnetic domains are shown with blue and red contrast, magnetization direction of the domains is indicated by black arrows. Black contours are the regions of interest for average reflectivity measurements. (c,d) Color-scale plots of the measured reflectivity as a function of the electron kinetic energy (horizontal axis) and film thickness (vertical axis) for both thin-film systems. (e,f) Color-scale plots of the spin asymmetry of the reflectivity.  See Phys. Rev. B 71, 144429 (2005). For a color version of the figures, see http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0404720.

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