Spin precession of electrons reflected from a ferromagnetic surface

The reflection of spin-polarized electrons from polycrystalline ferromagnetic films is investigated in a “complete” scattering experiment, where a spin-polarized electron source is combined with a spin polarization detector. The spin polarization vector of the electrons is shown to precess during reflection about the magnetization direction of the ferromagnetic film. Consequently, a torque is generated on the magnetization by the reflected electrons.