AbstractWe demonstrate the detection of Magnetic X-ray Circular Dichroism (MXCD) from commercial, thin-film spin valves. Measured x-ray absorption spectra on these devices indicate magnetic polarization of the ferromagnetic constituents, Fe, Co, and Ni.
Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of core-level absorption spectra (XAS) in the soft X-ray region has been measured for the ferromagnetic Heusler alloys Co 2 TiSn , Co 2 ZrSn , and Co 2 NbSn . The Co 2p → 3d XAS–MCD spectra show an obvious contribution of the orbital angular momentum component to the magnetic moment in these alloys. The ratio between the orbital and the spin magnetic moments derived from the MCD spectra varies by more than a factor of 2 within these alloys. The mechanism of this variation is discussed in comparison with the band structure calculation.