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A. Vernes, L. Szunyogh, P. Weinberger:
"Magneto-optical properties of Fe/Pd multilayers";
Bull. Am. Phys. Soc., 48 (2003), 1188.

We report on theoretical Kerr spectra of Fe/Pd multilayer systems as obtained on a first principles basis by including multiple reflections and interferences at all the boundaries between the atomic layers. The complex optical conductivity tensor is calculated in terms of the Kubo equation by means of a contour integration technique such that finite temperatures and life-time broadening can be taken into account. In combination with the spin-polarized relativistic screened Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker band structure method, this technique provides the presently most
sophisticated first principles computational approach of evaluating the complex optical conductivity tensor in layered systems without using the Kramers-Kronig relations, but accounting on the same footing for both the inter- and the intra-band contributions. In this contribution we analyze the Kerr effect in the Fe/Pd multilayer systems as a function of the number of Fe mono-layers and present a direct comparison to very recent experimental data.