Element-specific magnetic and electronic properties of epitaxial heusler films

Abstract

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) provides an experimental access to element-specific electronic properties of thin epitaxial films of Heusler alloys. The combination of bulk-sensitive transmission and surface-sensitive electron yield methods reveals quantitative information on bulk and interface properties. Extreme cases of magnetically dead and life layers at interfaces illustrate the high potential of XMCD. The dependence of XMCD on disorder, structure and composition is discussed as well as dynamic properties investigated by a combination of ferromagnetic resonance and XMCD. Examples are shown where spectroscopic information provided by XMCD is exploited to discuss subtle changes of the partial density of states (PDOS) as a function of composition, magnetization direction and temperature.