WAVE-VECTOR-DEPENDENT STONER APPROACH TO BAND FERROMAGNETISM IN NI

Recent experimental evidence [W. von der Linden et al., Phys. Rev. Let t. 71, 899 (1993)] that the exchange splitting in Ni follows the tempe rature dependence of the magnetization and provides strong support for the physical basis of the Stoner model of itinerant ferromagnetism. I n this work, augmented plane wave results for paramagnetic and spin-po larized bands (supplemented by a single-parameter shrinking of the ban d splitting to fit the experimental value available at the symmetry po int L-3) are used in a k-dependent, Stoner-like calculation, of the Cu rie temperature of Ni. The calculated magnetization curve, saturation magnetization, Curie temperature, and specific heat coefficient are in agreement with experiment.