SPIN-DEPENDENT TRANSMISSION OF POLARIZED ELECTRONS THROUGH A FERROMAGNETIC IRON FILM

Polarized electrons excited in a GaAs crystal by optical spin orientation are photoemitted after having passed through a thin ferromagnetic overlayer of iron. It is shown that the photoyield dpeends on the relative orientation of the spin magnetic moment of the photoelectrons with respect to the magnetization of the iron film. Close to the photothreshold, the transmission is about 1.7 times larger when the orientation is parallel compared to the case where it is antiparallel. © 1995 The American Physical Society.