Magnetic moments in thin epitaxial Cr films on Fe(100)

The absolute magnetic moments of thin Cr overlayers on Fe(100) are directly determined by energy-resolved spin-polarized secondary-electron emission. Spin-dependent attenuation of low-energy secondary electrons is quantitatively treated, following a model by Siegmann, to extract magnetic depth profiles in the adlayer. The first monolayer of Cr couples antiferromagnetically to the Fe substrate and exhibits a maximum magnetic moment of 1.8±0.2${\mathrm{\mu }}_{\mathit{B}}$ per atom for a submonolayer coverage. Subsequent Cr layers show a positive magnetization. © 1996 The American Physical Society.