Observation of Spin-Exchange Collisions of Electrons in a Metal

Abstract

It is shown, in an experiment, that the spin polarization $P_0$ of a primary electron beam causes a spin polarization $P_{\mathrm{ex}}$ of the secondary electrons produced in a single collision from the conduction bands of a metal. The results of $\frac{P_{\mathrm{ex}}}{P_0}$ obtained with gold suggest that this type of experiment might provide a critical test of the electron-electron interactions in solids.