Conduction-electrongfactors in the noble metals

The conduction-electron g factor has been calculated at points on the Fermi surfaces of copper, silver, and gold by a relativistic linearized muffin-tin orbital method in the atomic-sphere approximation. The orbital g factors for principal extremal orbits on the Fermi surface of each metal have been deduced. A comparison with experimental g-factor data makes it possible to estimate the exchange-correlation enhancement factor for electrons on the Fermi surface of copper. The Fermi-surface average of the enhancement factor is in agreement with the predictions of a first-principles calculation, and the data suggest a weak anisotropy. Experimental data for silver and gold prove to be insufficiently accurate to yield reliable values of the exchange-correlation enhancement factor. A g-factor anomaly on the neck orbit in gold is discussed.