Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
We show that oscillatory interlayer exchange coupling of thin magnetic layers through metals is a general phenomenon present in almost all the transition and noble metals. Surprisingly the period of the oscillations is approximately the same, about 10Å, in all these metals with the sole exception of Cr for which the period is significantly longer. The strength of the coupling varies systematically throughout the 3d, 4d and 5d transition metals increasing exponentially along each of the transition metal periods and increasing from the 5d to 4d to 3d periods. These results appear to be inconsistent with simple Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) based models.