Resonant scattering of polarized x-rays at the 4d edge of gadolinium

The impact of resonant scattering of polarized x-rays is illustrated taking the gadolinium 4d edge energy range as an example. It is shown that: (i) the study of the reflection of linearly polarized light by a magnetized Gd sample gives information on the electronic states of the system, similar to that given by magnetic circular dichroism in absorption; (ii) the energy-loss peaks corresponding to spin-flip transitions in the 4d → 4f excitation exhibit a strong circular dichroism.