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Limitations of a simple quantum mechanical model: Magnetic dichroism in a relativistic one‐electron atom
Author(s) -
Rodríguez J. C.,
Kostoglou Ch.,
Singer R.,
Seib J.,
Fähnle M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.200743384
Subject(s) - magnetic circular dichroism , atom (system on chip) , dichroism , electron , physics , magnetic field , circular dichroism , condensed matter physics , crystal (programming language) , absorption (acoustics) , x ray magnetic circular dichroism , atomic physics , field (mathematics) , chemistry , molecular physics , quantum mechanics , crystallography , optics , spectral line , computer science , pure mathematics , programming language , embedded system , mathematics
The magnetic dichroism, i.e., the difference in the absorption coefficient for right‐ and left‐circularly polarized electromagnetic waves, is a relativistic many‐electron effect in a magnetic material. Jenkins and Strange have introduced the most simple and analytically solvable quantum mechanical model which exhibits magnetic dichroism, i.e., the relativistic one‐electron atom in an external magnetic field. We have extended this model by considering the 2p–3d transitions and by taking into account the effect of an additional crystal field. The model predicts near‐zero dichroism for the 2p 1/2 –3d 3/2 transition ( L 2 ‐absorption) if the crystal field and the effect of the magnetic field on the core states are neglected, in contrast to the strong dichroism for the L 2 ‐absorption in real materials. The reason for this limitation of the model of Jenkins and Strange is discussed. The j – j mixing of the initial states by the additional crystal field potential has some weak effect on the dichroism. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)