Magnetic circular dichroism in core-level photoemission of localized magnetic systems

Abstract

Circular dichroism in photoemission can be described by an atomic approach and a comparison is made with an itinerant-electron model. The latter cannot describe the multiplet effects arising from the many-particle Coulomb and exchange interactions. The atomic model predicts a strong dichroic effect in localized transition-metal, rare-earth, and actinide compounds; for Cu p core-hole emission an asymmetry ratio of 45% is calculated. In contrast to x-ray absorption, the angular-dependent part of the electrostatic interaction between the core hole and localized valence holes is essential for circular dichroism.