Density of states and optical conductivity of ferromagnetic nickel

Abstract

The density of states and the interband optical conductivity of ferromagnetic nickel are calculated using the energy eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions from the interpolation scheme band structure where the parameters are adjusted to fit the Fermi surface data. The Brillouin-zone integrations are performed using the special-direction method. The effects of including optical matrix elements and a phenomenological lifetime broadening are studied. The calculations are in good agreement with the optical data. A comparison is made with the recent angle resolved photoemission data.