X-ray magnetic circular dichroism at IrL2,3 edges in Fe100−x Ir x and Co100−x Ir x alloys: Magnetism of 5d electronic states

The formation of induced 5d magnetic moment on Ir in Fe_100?x Ir _x (x=3, 10 and 17) and Co_100?x Ir _x (x=5, 17, 25 and 32) alloys has been investigated by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at Ir L_2,3 absorption edges. Sum rule analysis of the XMCD data show that the orbital moment of Ir is in the range of ?0.071(2)µB to ?0.030(1)µB in Fe-Ir alloys and ?0.067(2)µB to 0.024(1)µB in Co-Ir alloys. We find that the total moment of Ir in Fe-Ir alloys is approximately 1/5 of the total 3d moment on Fe at all the three compositions. In contrast, the total moment on Ir in Co-Ir alloys varies between 1/6 to 1/16 of the 3d moment on cobalt. The observed trends of Ir moments and the role of interatomic exchange interactions in 5d moment formation are discussed.