Quadratic X-ray magneto-optical effect upon reflection in a near-normal-incidence configuration at the M edges of 3d-transition metals.

We have observed a quadratic x-ray magneto-optical effect in near-normal-incidence reflection at the M edges of iron. The effect appears as the magnetically induced rotation of approximately 0.1 degrees of the polarization plane of linearly polarized x-ray radiation upon reflection. A comparison of the measured rotation spectrum with results from x-ray magnetic linear dichroism data demonstrates that this is the first observation of the Schäfer-Hubert effect in the x-ray regime. Ab initio density-functional theory calculations reveal that hybridization effects of the 3p core states necessarily need to be considered when interpreting experimental data. The discovered magneto-x-ray effect holds promise for future ultrafast and element-selective studies of ferromagnetic as well as antiferromagnetic materials.