Spin-Sensitive Electron Capture into Excited States as a Probe to Investigate Magnetic Surfaces and Layer Systems

In the neutralization process into an excited state during He+ scattering of magnetic surfaces the orientation off the spin of the captured electron can be extracted by analyzing the degree of circular polarization of the emitted light. In the grazing incidence mode the surface sensitivity is highest owing to the fact that the particles do not penetrate into the target surface, but are scattered well above the uppermost atomic layer. Thus the electrons that neutralize the incoming ion originate from the topmost layer. This implies that the method is very well suited to investigate the properties of magnetic surfaces and multilayers. In this contribution we present new results concerning the surface sensitivity of the above method and experimentally show that changes in the state of magnetization of the surface are reflected in corresponding changes in the recorded signal.