Abstract
AbstractThe orbital magnetic moments in magnetite have recently been discussed with strong controversy. Here, the presence of orbital moments has been revealed by the independent analysis of the Fe L2,3 edge X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) spectra, a moment analysis fit of the Fe L2,3 edge X‐ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), and by the comparison with O K edge XMCD. These orbital moments are located at the A and B sites of magnetite and aligned antiparallel with each other, similar to the spin moments. They also cancel each other and are not observable by methods averaging over the whole unit cell. These findings have strong implications for the understanding of the A and B site valence states, because the existence of orbital moments is also an indicator for the half‐metallic character of magnetite.
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