The Magnetic Susceptibility of the Transition Elements

Abstract

The available data on the temperature dependence of the paramagnetic susceptibility of the transition elements are reviewed. A theoretical treatment according to the band theory of solids is developed explicitly by means of a simple approximation to the Fermi function. Each term in the resulting theoretical formula may be directly and graphically interpreted in terms of the geometry of the density-of-states curve, allowing a simple and intuitive analysis of the susceptibility variation at any temperature. The empirical data on the temperature coefficient of susceptibility, on the absolute magnitude of the susceptibility, and on the specific heats of the transition elements are analyzed to suggest probable alterations in the available theoretical density-of-states curves.