Spin dependence in the survival probability of metastable He (2(3)S) atoms during the scattering from ferromagnetic surfaces.
The use of a spin-polarized metastable helium (He(*)) atom beam has demonstrated that the survival probability (SP) of He(*) during the scattering from ferromagnetic surfaces depends on the electron spin of He(*). The spin asymmetry in the SP of He(*) scattered from a clean Fe/Cu(100) surface changed its polarity with H2O adsorption. We argue that the reversal is caused by the change in the spin polarization of the surface electronic states at around the Fermi level.