MAGNETIC CIRCULAR X-RAY DICHROISM STUDIES OF FE TB MULTILAYERS/

The local magnetic structure of TbFe multilayers with various layer th icknesses of Tb (26 angstrom) and Fe (10, 20, 30 and 35 angstrom) has been investigated by circular magnetic x-ray dichroism (CMXD) studies. From the dichroic signal at the L3 edge both the local magnetic Th mo ment and the anisotropic behavior of the Th compound could be deduced. The magnetic spectra at the Th L2 edge and the Fe K edge, which are k nown to be sensitive to the local chemical environment, have been used to obtain information on the binding characters of the magnetized ato ms in the various TbFe compositions. Significant deviations of the CMX D spectra compared to the corresponding spectra in the pure Fe and Th metals have been observed. This indicates significant contributions to the magnetism from an interface region, whose chemical structure rese mbles strongly those of the intermetallic TbFe2 compounds.