X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism: An Introduction to the Physics Behind the Technique and its Applications

Synopsis

Discovered only one year after its prediction in 1985, Magnetic X-Ray Dichroism made waves in the study of magnetic rare-earth materials in magnetically ordered materials and thin films by determining the magnitude, orientation, temperature, and field dependence of a given sample. Presently, X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) has become a standard technique for determining the spin and orbital magnetic moments of many different magnetic materials in a wide variety of samples. Although the technique is commonly used, the physics behind it is far from simple. In this presentation we will explore the underlying physics behind this technique from the ground up, uncovering how XMCD works, the benefits of this technique, and how it has impacted a variety of fields, ranging from spintronics to the environmental sciences.