Spin-dependent K- and L-absorption measurements (invited)

Spin-dependent absorption spectroscopy with circularly polarized synchrotron radiation is presented as a new method to study magnetism in magnetic solids. In the near-edge absorption region, the spin-dependent absorption coefficient probes the spin density of unoccupied states of selected angular momentum at the absorber atom. The spin-dependent absorption effects as function of temperature contain information on the local magnetic coupling. A large spin-dependent part of the absorption of ∼+0.22 at the Pt L2 edges in PtFe is observed in transmission and fluorescence mode.