Probing the spin polarization in ferromagnets

The emission of correlated electrons from an itinerant ferromagnet following the impact of a polarized electron beam is analyzed in terms of irreducible tensorial parameters that can be measured. Under favorable conditions, specified in this work, these parameters are related to the spin polarization in the ferromagnet. The formal results are illustrated by numerical studies of the polarized electron pair emission from a Fe(110) surface and a novel technique for the investigation of magnetic properties of ferromagnets is suggested.