Magnetic imaging

The present status of techniques for imaging magnetic micro- and nanostructures by microscopy utilizing synchrotron radiation is reviewed. In general, these techniques are based on magnetic dichroism in soft x-ray spectroscopy, i.e. a dependence of the optical properties on the relative orientation of light polarization and the magnetic order parameter. They allow for a higher spatial resolution than microscopic techniques using visible optics. Furthermore, excitation by soft x-rays tuned to core level edges provides elemental specificity, i.e. the possibility to probe differentially the magnetic properties of different chemical species present in the sample. (author)