X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) is a magneto-optical effect that describes the difference in absorption between left and right circularly polarized X-rays by a magnetized material. It has been widely applied to the study of new magnetic systems and of novel magnetic phenomena due to its unique capabilities, including elemental, orbital, and spin selectivity. In this Primer, we provide an entry point to the XMCD effect and highlight its strengths and limitations, through a discussion of its microscopic underpinnings and of different methods and techniques of measuring it. A flavour of capabilities of XMCD is given through a number of representative case studies that illustrate the potential of XMCD to investigate a vast range of magnetic phenomena.
Original Publication: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-025-00397-9 (link is external)
Contact
Dr. C. A. F. Vaz
PSI Center for Photon Science
+41 56 310 5488
carlos.vaz@psi.ch
Original Publication
X-ray magnetic circular dichroism
C. A. F. Vaz, G. van der Laan, S. A. Cavill, H. A. Dürr, A. Fraile Rodríguez, F. Kronast, W. Kuch, Ph. Sainctavit, G. Schütz, H. Wende, E. Weschke, and F. Wilhelm
Methods Primers 5, 27 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-025-00397-9 (link is external)