Towards 3D polarization analysis in neutron reflectometry

General equations for spin-flip and non-spin-flip specular reflection and o ff-specular scattering are analyzed for the case of multidomain states of m agnetic multilayers. The results are illustrated by numerical calculations performed for Fe/Cr multilayers using an original software developed on the basis of the supermatrix formalism. This routine allows to calculate the r eflectivities and scattering cross sections from the layered structures of any complexity for any directions of the incident polarization vector and d irections of the polarization analysis. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.