WHAT DOES THE K-EDGE X-RAY MAGNETIC CIRCULAR-DICHROISM SPECTRUM TELL US

Two rules which relate the magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) from the s core levels of a solid to the p-projected spin and orbital magnetiza tion density of unoccupied states of the solid have been derived. Expl icit calculations using the spin- and orbital-polarized relativistic m ultiple-scattering theory for bcc Fe, hcp Co and fcc Ni corroborate th at the K-edge MCD spectrum probes the p-projected orbital magnetizatio n density of unoccupied states.