SPIN PROPERTIES OF CONDUCTION ELECTRONS IN THE NOBLE-METALS

Values of the spin-splitting factor g can in principle be derived from the observed absolute amplitudes of the de Haas-van Alphen oscillations, provided the oscillations are not dominated by magnetic interaction, and it is shown that this can be achieved for the bellies of the noble metals by working at sufficiently high temperatures (typically 2-3 K at fields up to 8 T). Oscillations were observed by the field modulation technique and g values obtained for Cu, Au, and Ag over a range of orientations. The results are compared with previous ones for Cu and Au and it is also shown that the general trend from one metal to the other is roughly in accord with the predictions of many-body theory. © 1979 Plenum Publishing Corporation.