<title>Polarized x-ray absorption spectroscopy for the study of superconductors and magnetic materials</title>

Abstract

Synchrotron radiation is a good source of polarized radiation in the x-ray regime. The radiation obtained from a bending magnet source is linearly polarized in the bending plane and has a varying degree of circular polarization away from the bending plane. This feature of synchrotron radiation can be taken advantage of with proper optics to selectively use the type of polarized radiation required for the experiment in question. Linear polarized radiation is used to study the anisotropic nature of electronic and atomic structure by x-ray absorption techniques from single crystal and oriented powder samples. We will give a specific example of the use of linearly polarized x-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements for the study of the magnetically oriented layered copper oxide superconductors. While such linear dichroism measurements help identify the symmetry of the empty electronic states, circular dichroism measurements in magnetic systems help in determining the spin contribution to the absorption process. We will discuss magnetic circular dichroism measurements of the ordered-disordered invar alloy Fe3Pt.