Abstract
We quantify the presence of spin-mixed states in ferromagnetic 3D transition metals by precise measurement of the orbital moment. While central to phenomena such as Elliot-Yafet scattering, quantification of the spin-mixing parameter has hitherto been confined to theoretical calculations. We demonstrate that this information is also available by experimental means. Comparison of ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism results show that Kittel’s original derivation of the spectroscopic factor requires modification, to include spin mixing of valence band states. Our results are supported by ab initio relativistic electronic structure theory.
- Received 19 May 2021
- Accepted 8 September 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.207201
© 2021 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Viewpoint
Spin Mixing in Ferromagnets Revealed
Published 8 November 2021
Experiments with thin magnetic films show that mixing between spin states has a larger than expected effect on spectroscopic measurements used to probe magnetic interactions in materials.
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