X-ray magnetic circular dichroism analysis of thermally annealed Co53Mn25B10Si12 amorphous alloy

Abstract Using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), the effective magnetic moments for Co and Mn of the thermally annealed Co 53 Mn 25 B 10 Si 12 alloy were estimated. The XMCD results showed that the effective magnetic moments for both Co and Mn were severely reduced by the disordered amorphous structure while the Mn–Mn interaction remained ferromagnetic. We also observed a substantial rise of Co M spin prior to the crystallization of the amorphous structure due to clustering of Co atoms, indicating the onset of devitrification of the amorphous alloy.