Band Structure of Nickel and Low-Energy Optical Transitions

Abstract

Low-energy structure observed at 0.25, 0.40, and 1.30 eV in the temperature-modulated reflectance of nickel films has been assigned to interband transitions in a band scheme in which the conduction band is lowered with respect to the d bands such that L2′ is below L32 in both the majority and minority spin bands. A recent self-consistent band calculation agrees with the assignment of the 0.25-eV peak in the majority and the 0.40-eV peak in the minority spin bands at the L point, while the 1.30-eV transition is at the W point in the minority spin band.