Surface-structural analysis by use of spin-polarized low-energy electron diffraction: an investigation of the Cu(100) surface

A detailed theoretical and experimental study of the Cu(100) surface using spin-polarized low-energy electron diffraction (SPLEED) is reported. An R-factor analysis of the present SPLEED data for the 10, 20, and 11-bar beams provides evidence of multilayer relaxation in Cu(100), and suggests that the first and second interlayer spacings deviate by -1.2% and +0.9%, respectively, from the bulk value. The present structural conclusions are in accord with those deduced in earlier LEED I-V studies, and suggest that combined measurements of spin-asymmetry and intensity profiles should provide an improved basis for structure determinations on surfaces of greater complexity.