ISSN:
1089-7550
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Recent developments in synchrotron radiation instrumentation have made possible the production of high quality circularly polarized light in the soft x-ray region (150–1500 eV).1,2 Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), the difference in the absorption intensity of magnetic systems using left- and right-circularly polarized light, has been exploited in the visible, VUV, and hard x-ray spectral regions to provide valuable information on the electronic and magnetic properties of magnetically oriented systems. Soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (SXMCD) has several advantages over the VUV and hard x-ray spectral regions: the major electronic states that are responsible for magnetism, i.e., the 3d states of transition metals and the 4f states of rare-earth elements, can be reached via strong dipole transitions from their respective well-separated 2p3/2, 2p1/2, and 3d5/2, 3d3/2 sharp core levels. Compared to MCD in the visible region, known as the magneto-optical Kerr effect, SXMCD offers element and site specificity with relatively easier data interpretation. A brief review of the principles of SXMCD2 and current instrumental developments will be given. SXMCD measurements conducted at the Dragon beamline on a wide variety of magnetic systems, including transition metals, surfaces, ultrathin films, alloys, ferrites, rare-earth compounds, and biological samples will be utilized to demonstrate the capability of SXMCD as a tool for basic and applied magnetism research.2,3
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.352423
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