Abstract
We analyze the bulk and surface spin-wave modes of a semi-infinite Fe/Gd superlattice. If an externally applied magnetic field is increased from zero, one surface mode is driven soft, indicating a surface phase transition which occurs at a field value about 5 times lower than that necessary to cause a bulk phase transition. The phase transition is shown to nucleate at the surface and has a large penetration depth (on the order of a few hundred angstroms) even for fields just slightly above the value needed to induce the transition.

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