Electron spin polarization

Abstract

The production and detection of electron polarization are discussed in the context of low-energy collision phenomena. After a short summary of the history of the subject, the formalism of Stokes parameters is reviewed. Physical processes are surveyed in the following sequence: elastic collisions with spin zero targets (Mott scattering); spin exchange in elastic scattering from spin one-half targets; spin-orbit coupling effects and spin exchange in inelastic electron-atom collisions; photoionization; collisional ionization in atom-atom interactions. The phenomena are described in terms of the algebraic formalism developed in the earlier part of the paper and brief descriptions of experiments illustrate the methods used and the results obtained in testing theoretical predictions.