This thesis describes the results of polarized neutron reflectometry experiments with spin-valve samples performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, MD). The study was motivated by the strong technological interest in spin-valve structures exhibiting the effect of giant magnetoresistance. This phenomenon has been widely utilized in a new generation of magnetoresistive memory, reading heads for magnetic disk drives, and field sensors. The study showed that the interfacial roughness strongly depends on the conditions of sample preparation. We have also observed a non-collinear coupling of magnetization between the ferromagnetic layers of the spin-valve samples. The signs of the coupling constants were determined from the neutron reflectometry data using a minimum energy model for the relative orientations of magnetization. The results are consistent with the theoretical values obtained from the RKKY model of oscillatory exchange coupling.; We also present the results of specific ultracold neutron (UCN) storage experiments performed at the Institut Laue-Langevin (Grenoble, France). We investigated certain anomalous features of UCN storage. The UCN were filled into a container whose walls were coated by a good neutron reflector (Fomblin grease). Then the neutrons were quickly removed by an absorber, until their residual density in the trap was measured to be negligible. Nevertheless, when the absorber was withdrawn, a measurable number of neutrons emerged from the trap. We have also found that application of a magnetic field gradient at the trap bottom as well as replacement of some Fomblin grease by liquid Fornblin oil gave rise to alterations of UCN count rate. These surprising phenomena are not well understood so far and require further experimental study.
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