Interrelation of magnetic-dichroism effects seen in the angular distribution of photoelectrons from surfaces

Abstract

Magnetic dichroism in the angular distribution of photoelectrons (MDAD) depends on four vector quantities (magnetization M, light wave vector q, photoelectron wave vector k, surface normal n), the polarization properties of the light, as well as the details of the individual dipole transition matrix elements. There are many inequivalent methods of displaying the magnetic dichroism through the manipulation of different combinations of these parameters, comparison of results derived using different methods must be made with care. These variations of MDAD may be placed in a consistent framework which reveals their systematic dependence on M, q, k, n, and the light polarization, and which clarifies which transition matrix elements are being probed in each case. Elucidation of these systematic dependences allows a great deal of qualitative information to be extracted from MDAD measurements, and permits further information to be deduced using the interrelation of different MDAD methods.