Magnetic circular dichroism in Tb 3d -> 4f resonant photoemission

We present an elegant method to calculate the magnetic circular dichroism i n the resonant photoemission decay of lanthanides. By recoupling the angula r momenta we obtain fundamental spectra which require only the reduced matr ix elements. The full multiplet calculations in intermediate coupling using the t-matrix approach are compared to new experimental results for the TD 3d-->4f resonant photoemission taken at high-energy resolution. The agreeme nt for the M-4,M-5 absorption structures as well as for the 4f photoemissio n is remarkably good. Angular momentum coupling plays an important role in the magnetic circular dichroism (MCD). As a rule we find that a strong nega tive S-8 peak in the resonant photoemission MCD is indicative for a dominan tly J'=7 character in the intermediate x-ray absorption state while a stron g positive I-6 peak indicates a dominantly J'=5 character. The photoemissio n signal observed fur the H-6 and (6)G final states is reduced compared to the calculation, which might be due to configuration interaction with other shells, such as the 5p and 5d. At higher photon energies within the M-4,M- 5 absorption, an enhanced photoemission is found at binding energies above 12 eV, which can be ascribed to "spin-flip'' transitions. [S0163-1829(99)03 613-9].