Magnetic dichroism in off-normal valence-band photoemission

Magnetic dichroism in off-normal photoemission from valence bands of ferromagnets is studied by both symmetry considerations and numerical relativistic calculations. In general set-ups (light polarization, incidence and emission directions, magnetization direction), dichroism is either due to change of the light polarization or due to magnetization reversal, or due to both. Relations between photoemission intensities for different set-ups lead to the definition of asymmetries in order to probe the origin of the dichroism. Numerical relativistic photoemission calculations provide quantitative results for prototypical systems: Ni/Cu(001) with perpendicular magnetization, Co/Cu(001) with in-plane magnetization, and non-magnetic Cu(001). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.