X-Ray Linear Dichroism: An Element-Selective Spectroscopic Probe for Local Structural Properties and Valence

X-ray linear dichroism (XLD) in the hard X-ray regime has recently attracted an increasing amount of interest among solid state physicists. It has been proven to be a powerful tool to determine the local structural properties and thus the spatial incorporation of dopant atoms in a host crystal such as dilute magnetic oxides and nitrides. Due to its element specificity the host lattice and the dopant species can be investigated separately to reveal the local bond geometry and the valence state of the respective element. Here we will review recent results on dilute magnetic oxides, in particular Co-doped ZnO, together with a detailed discussion of simulations of the respective absorption and XLD spectra.