Weak itinerant ferromagnets: Ni3Al

Abstract

The electronic band structure of Ni₃Al has been calculated using the ASW method, and a high-precision density of states has been derived. Comparison with existing specific-heat measurements data suggests that Ni₃Al remains in the fluctuation regime even in the ferromagnetic state. The authors present calculations of the extremal cross-sectional areas of the Fermi surface and the corresponding orbital masses to stimulate further experiments.