Analysis of the temperature dependent magnetic scattering by ferromagnetic Ni (110) surface

The temperature dependence of the bulk and layer‐by‐layer surface magnetization of Ni (110) is derived using the molecular field theory. We then use these results in a dynamical polarized low‐energy electron diffraction (PLEED) calculation to determine the temperature dependent polarization S of the diffracted intensities. The S vs T curves are strongly dependent on the incident electron energies and the critical exponents for surface magnetization are different from the bulk case. Multiple scattering effects profoundly modify the results predicted by using the kinematical scattering approximations. We also examine the sensitivity of S upon the use of different spin‐dependent scattering potentials of the surface atoms. These results are then compared with recent experimental data for 0.6 TCurie⩽T⩽TCurie. The usefulness of PLEED for surface magnetic structural determination is clearly demonstrated.