Magnetic dichroism in valence-band x-ray photoemission spectroscopy

A fully relativistic description of spin-resolved valence-band x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (VB-XPS) of magnetic solids is presented that is based on multiple scattering theory. This approach allows us to investigate possible magnetic dichroism in VB-XPS. As is demonstrated by results for ${\mathrm{Co}}_{\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{Pt}}_{1\mathrm{-}\mathrm{x}}$, application to disordered alloys is straightforward within the framework of the coherent potential approximation alloy theory. The spin-integrated spectra for unpolarized radiation were found to be in very satisfying agreement with corresponding experimental data. For the spin-resolved spectra a pronounced magnetic circular dichroism is predicted that should be easily observed.