Influence of a spin-polarized tip on the Fe(001) surface

A detailed study of ab initio calculations for an iron parallel electrode a nd a tip-surface system, using the localized spherical wave method and the supercell-slab approach is presented. The calculations show that within the medium inter-electrode distance range (about 2.9 to 5.7 Angstrom the inter action between two parallel electrodes has a strong influence on the local surface electronic structure, while the ma,magnetic moment is almost consta nt. A tip induces changes of the specific surface states near the Fermi lev el. However, the spin-polarization of the tip shows no significant influenc e on the surface states. (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .