The magnetic structure of nanoscale alloy films has been probed using the magnetic x-ray linear dichroism in photoelectron spectroscopy. FeNi and CoFe epitaxial films were grown on Cu(001), in situ and using molecular beam epitaxy techniques. The magnetic x-ray linear dichroism measurements were made at the Spectromicroscopy Facility of the Third Generation Advanced Light Source. Because soft x-rays were used to generate photoemission from the 3p core levels, both elemental selectivity and magnetic sensitivity were achieved simultaneously. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.