An angle-dependent magnetic circular X-ray dichroism study of Co/Cu(100): experiment versus theory

Values for the magnetic moments of 3d transition metals have been calculated from magnetic circular X-ray dichroism measurements using sum rules. In this work we reveal that these calculations are sensitive to a damping effect resulting from a decrease in photon penetration at the L 3.2 peaks. Known as saturation effects, we present a simple correction to compensate for this phenomenon. We also show that the magnetic moments, as determined using sum rules, are relatively insensitive to the step function fitted to the absorption spectra. The magnetic moments derived from our data differ from the known ground-state moments. The corresponding collective factors appear to be transferable between cobalt and nickel.