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.