Evolution of the orbital occupation in single-crystaline MnFe(P,Si) resolved by temperature dependent X-ray linear dichroism at P K-edge

MnFe(P,Si) is one of the rare materials presenting an isostructural first-order ferromagnetic magnetic transition at ambient conditions. This system attracts a continuous attention, both for its potential applications and for the scientific interest to unravel the underlying transition mechanism. The debate on the nature of the changes in electronic structure continues up to today. (Non-magnetic) X-ray linear dichroism which can provide element selective and orbital specific information on electron occupation is uniquely suited to address this issue. Taking advantage of our recent achievements on growing MnFe(P,Si) single crystals, we intend to measure Fe, Mn and foremost P K-edge linear dichroic XLD spectra across the ferromagnetic transition.