Spin-specific photoelectron diffraction using magnetic x-ray circular dichroism

The first observation of spin-dependent photoelectron diffraction using circularly polarized x rays is reported for monolayer ferromagnetic fcc Fe films on Cu(001). Circularly polarized x rays are used to produce spin-polarized photoelectrons from the Fe2p spin-orbit split doublet, and intensity asymmetries in the 2p3/2 level of ∼3% are observed. The asymmetry is dependent on the relative orientation of the x-ray polarization vector and the Fe magnetic moment. This spin-dependent technique promises the direct, element-specific determination not only of local atomic structure, but magnetic structure as well