Enhanced Spin Polarization of Conduction Electrons in Ni, explained by comparison with Cu

Abstract

The spin-split Fermi level crossings of the conduction band in Ni are mapped out by high-resolution photoemission and compared to the equivalent crossing in Cu. The area of the quasiparticle peak decreases rapidly below Ef in Ni, but not in Cu. Majority spins have larger spectral weight at Ef than minority spins, thereby enhancing the spin-polarization beyond that expected from the density of states. A large part of the effect can be traced to a rapid variation of the matrix element with {\bf k} at the point where the s,p-band begins to hybridize with the $dz^2$ state. However, it is quite possible that the intensity drop in Ni is reinforced by a transfer of spectral weight from single-particle to many-electron excitations. The results suggest that the matrix element should be considered for explaining the enhanced spin polarization observed for Ni in spin-polarized tunneling.