Relativistic Theory of Low Energy Electron Diffraction: Application to the (001) and (110) Surfaces of Tungsten

A relativistic theory for calculating low energy electron diffraction intensities and spin polarization properties is applied to the (001) and (110) surfaces of tungsten for several angles of incidence. Intensity‐energy profiles are obtained in generally good agreement with experimental data. Relativistic effects on intensities are found to be noticeable, and appreciable spin polarization features are predicted. In particular, large degrees of spin polarization in conjunction with sizeable intensities are found in the specular beam for large angles of incidence on W(001).