Understanding the XMLD and its magnetocrystalline anisotropy at the L2,3-edges of 3d transition metals

For amorphous 3d transition metal alloys the XMLD spectrum is shown to be proportional to the energy derivative of the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) spectrum. The situation is much different for crystalline cubic 3d ferromagnets: Here different combinations of the spin-polarized e(g) and t(2g) d-partial densities of states are probed for different magnetization axes. Our ab initio calculations predict a huge magnetocrystalline anisotropy in the XMLD spectra of cubic 3d ferromagnets that is much larger than the anisotropy known for XMCD spectra. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved