Theory of the magneto-optical Kerr effect of Fe, Ni and some Fe-based alloys

A first-principles theory of the optical Kerr effect in the ferromagnetic metals Fe and Ni and in some Fe-based alloys is given. The theory is based on density-functional theory in the local approximation and it treats the optical transitions between energy bands as the basic source of the Kerr effect. The ab initio calculated Kerr rotations of Fe and FeCo are in good agreement with experimental data, while reasonable agreement with experiments is found for Ni. It is concluded that the interband theory is applicable to the Kerr spectra of these materials. © 1992.