Recent high resolution Compton scattering experiments in lithium have shownsignificant discrepancies with conventional band theoretical results. Wepresent a pseudopotential quantum Monte Carlo study of electron-electron andelectron-ion correlation effects on the momentum distribution of lithium. Wecompute the correlation correction to the valence Compton profiles obtainedwithin Kohn-Sham density functional theory in the local density approximationand determine that electronic correlation does not account for the discrepancywith the experimental results. Our calculations lead do different conclusionsthan recent GW studies and indicate that other effects (thermal disorder,core-valence separation etc.) must be invoked to explain the discrepancy withexperiments.
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