Absorption of circularly polarized x rays in iron

The transmission of synchrotron radiation through magnetized iron at energies above the K-absorption edge shows relative differences for right and left circular polarization of several times ${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}4}$. The observed spin dependence of the near-edge photoabsorption is proportional to the difference of the spin densities of the unoccupied bands. In the extended absorption region up to 200 eV above the Fermi level a small spin-dependent absorption is observed and thus is expected to give information on the magnetic neighborhood of the absorbing atom.