Polarized Electrons

Book excerpt: This book deals with the physics of spin-polarized free electrons. Many aspects of this rapidly expanding field have been treated in review articles, but to date a self-contained monograph has not been available. In writing this book, I have tried to oppose the current trend in science that sees specialists writing primarily for like-minded specialists, and even physicists in closely related fields understanding each other less than they are inclined to admit. I have attempted to treat a modern field of physics in a style similar to that of a textbook. The presentation should be intelligible to readers at the graduate level, and while it may demand concentration, I hope it will not require decipher ing. If the reader feels that it occasionally dwells upon rather elementary topics, he should remember that this pedestrian excursion is meant to be reasonably self-contained. It was, for example, necessary to give a simple introduction to the Dirac theory in order to have a basis for the discussion of Mott scattering-one of the most important techniques in polarized electron studies.