AG/FE(001) INTERFACE

Spin-resolved photoemission studies of the interface formed by depositing silver on an Fe(001) substrate show that the silver d bands show evidence of hybridization with the substrate d bands through the presence of a spin polarization for the initial monolayer of silver. Subsequent layers of silver show no evidence of spin polarization in the d bands. Studies of the dispersion of the interface or quantum-well states associated with these thin films reveal that their effective mass is enhanced due to hybridization with the substrate. This has implications for theoretical models of the exchange coupling in the associated magnetic multilayers, where the bulk band structure is often assumed for the noble-metal intervening layer. © 1994 The American Physical Society.