Soft X-ray Circular Reflectivity from Ferromagnetic Transition-Metal Films Near the Brewster's Angle: Theoretical and Numerical X-ray Resonant Magnetic Scattering Study

摘要

We first report a novel phenomenon that manifests itself in a colossaldifference in soft x-ray reflectivity from ferromagnetic transition-metal filmsbetween the left- and right-handed circular polarization (LCP and RCP) modes ata resonance near normal Brewster's angle. Theoretical and numerical studies ofsft x-ray resonant magnetic scattering using the circular-polarization-modebasis reveal that this effect arises from a totally destructive interference ofphotons scattered individually from chargem orbital, and spin degrees offreedom in magnetized thin films that selectively occurs only for one helicityof the opposite circular modes when the required criteria are fulfilled. Acrossthe normal Brewster's angle. the polarization state of scattered soft x-ray iscontinuously variable from the RCP to the LCP mode (or vice versa) through thelinear s polarization mode by changing the incidence angle of linearp-polarized x rays at the resonance.