Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
Thin film bilayers of ferromagnetic Fe and nonmagnetic W have been deposited by sputtering on flat glass substrates according to a sequence of gradually varying bilayer thicknesses which in effect extends the critical angle for external mirror reflection for neutrons of one spin state when the Fe is magnetized in the plane of the film. The measured reflectivity of this Fe-W multilayer system is compared with that of other supermirror polarizers consisting of different materials and layer sequences.