  The reorientation transition of the magnetization of ferromagnetic films is
studied on a microscopic basis within a Heisenberg spin model. Using a modified
mean field formulation it is possible to calculate properties of magnetic thin
films with non-integer thicknesses. This is especially important for the
reorientation transition in Ni/Cu(001), as there the magnetic properties are a
sensitive function of the film thickness. Detailed phase diagrams in the
thickness-temperature plane are calculated using experimental parameters and
are compared with experimental measurements by Baberschke and Farle (J. Appl.
Phys. 81, 5038 (1997)).
