Efficient spin transitions in inelastic electron tunneling spec troscopy

The excitation of the spin degrees of freedom of an adsorbed atom by tunneling electrons is computed using a strong coupling theory. The excitation process is shown to be a sudden switch between the initial state determined by the environmental anisotropy to an intermediate state given by the coupling to the tunnelling electron. This explains the observed large inelastic currents. Application is presented for Fe and Mn adsorbates on CuN monolayers on Cu(100). First-principles calculations show the dominance of one collisional channel, leading to a quantitative agreement with the experiment.