Abstract
X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (X-MCD), i.e. the dependence of the absorption coefficient of circularly polarized X-rays on the projection of the magnetization in a ferromagnetic system onto the photon propagation direction, yields e. g. at L2,3 edges in transition metals large values up to 50%. In combination with a soft x-ray microscope where Fresnel zone plates as optical elements provide a lateral resolution down at 25nm, X-MCD can be used to image magnetic microstructures. This photon based technique allows for recording images in varying external magnetic fields, it exhibits inherent chemical specificity, a high sensitivity due to the large contrast and allows to distinguish between in-plane and out-of plane contributions. In this report the basic features of this novel technique will be outlined and results obtained with the XM-1 microscope at the ALS (Berkeley/CA) with thermomagnetically written bits in magneto-optical storage systems demonstrate the applicability of this new experimental technique to technological relevant issues.
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