  We investigate the magnetic properties of a range of low-dimensional
ferromagnets using a combination of first-principles calculations and atomistic
spin dynamics simulations. This approach allows us to evaluate the ground state
and finite temperature properties of experimentally well characterized systems
such as Co/Cu(111), Co/Cu(001), Fe/Cu(001) and Fe/W(110), for different
thicknesses of the magnetic layer. We compare our calculated spin wave spectra
with experimental data available in the literature, and find a good
quantitative agreement. We also predict magnon spectra for systems for which no
experimental data exist at the moment, and estimate the role of temperature
effects.
