Abstract
We present the results of an ab initio calculation of excited electron lifetimes in ferromagnetic materials which incorporates non-spin-flip and spin-flip processes within GW and -matrix approaches. The method we develop is applied to low-energy electron excitations in Fe and Ni. It is found that the spin-wave generation in Fe essentially reduces the lifetimes of the spin-minority states whereas the free-electron-like spin-minority states and all the spin-majority states are affected much less. The influence of spin-flip scattering on the lifetimes in Ni appears to be weak. The -matrix non-spin-flip processes are important for the lifetimes of excited spin-minority states.
- Received 26 February 2004
- Corrected 30 August 2004
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.096401
©2004 American Physical Society
Corrections
30 August 2004