Magnetic Scanning Tunneling Microscopy with a Two-Terminal Nonmagnetic Tip

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Abstract
The effect of spin-orbit coupling on the tunnel conductance between a magnetic surface and a two-terminal nonmagnetic tip is investigated. It is shown that the spin-orbit coupling leads to a spin asymmetry of the tunnel conductance between the ferromagnetic surface and one of the tip terminals (i.e., a dependence of the conductance on the orientation of the magnetization). The effect may be viewed as due to Mott scattering of tunneling electrons within the tip. An experimental realization of this effect is suggested, and the magnitude of the effect is estimated from qualitative arguments. It is proposed that the novel effect predicted here can be used to perform magnetic scanning tunneling microscopy with a nonmagnetic tip. The advantages and disadvantages of this novel technique are discussed.