Ultrathin vanadium films epitaxially grown on Fe(1 0 0) have been stud
ied by inverse photoemission spectroscopy excited by spin-polarized el
ectrons in the 5-10 eV kinetic energy range. Two experimental evidence
s are clearly observed: a strong reduction of the Fe signal upon V dep
osition and a shift of the image-potential surface state resonance whi
ch follows the work function change. No other transitions induced by t
he overlayer are detected. Both majority and minority-spin electron be
ams are strongly attenuated when passing through the V film. The atten
uation length is found to be as short as (3 +/- 0.5) Angstrom and spin
-independent, within the experimental accuracy. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scie
nce Ltd. All rights reserved.