Temperature-dependent orbital degree of freedom of a bilayer manganite by magnetic compton scattering.

We have measured temperature-dependent magnetic Compton profiles (MCPs) from a single crystal of La1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7. The MCPs, which involved the scattering of circularly polarized x rays, are in general related to the momentum density of all the unpaired spins in the system. Nevertheless, we show that when the x-ray scattering vector lies along the [110] direction, the number of magnetic electrons of a specific symmetry, i.e., d electrons of x(2)-y(2) symmetry, yield a distinct signature in the MCP, allowing us to monitor substantial changes in the occupancy of the dx(2)(-y(2)) states over the investigated temperature range of 5-200 K. This study indicates that magnetic Compton scattering can provide a powerful window on the properties of specific magnetic electrons in complex materials.