Abstract

The general situation with polarized neutron reflectivity, diffraction on a crystalline structure and off-specular scattering from magnetic inhomogeneities in thin films is thoroughly discussed. It is argued that only a combination of birefringence (spin-dependent refraction) of a neutron wave in the mean magnetic field of the film and spin-flip magnetic diffraction or scattering can lead to the splitting of the outgoing (diffracted or scattered) beam into two beams with different wave vectors and spin states. An effect of interplay between the lateral projection of the coherence length and the in-plane extension of magnetic inhomogeneities (size of domains, roughness correlation length etc.) is outlined.

Author Keywords: Birefringent scattering; Magnetic domains; Thin films

Article Outline

1. Introduction

2. From Schrödinger equation to Larmor precession

3. Refraction, reflection and transmission

4. Diffraction and off-specular scattering

Acknowledgements

References

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Correspondence address: Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forshungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany; email: b.toperverg@fz-juelich.de