THE NUCLEAR THOMAS-FERMI MODEL

The statistical Thomas-Fermi model is applied to a comprehensive surve y of macroscopic nuclear properties. The model uses a Seyler-Blanchard effective nucleon-nucleon interaction, generalized by the addition of one momentum-dependent and one density-dependent term. The adjustable parameters of the interaction were fitted to shell-corrected masses o f 1654 nuclei, to the diffuseness of the nuclear surface and to the me asured depths of the optical model potential. With these parameters nu clear sizes are well reproduced, and only relatively minor deviations between measured and calculated fission barriers of 36 nuclei are foun d. The model determines the principal bulk and surface properties of n uclear matter and provides estimates for the more subtle, Droplet Mode l, properties. The predicted energy vs. density relation for neutron m atter is in striking correspondence with the 1981 theoretical estimate of Friedman and Phandaripande [1]. Other extreme situations to which the model is applied are a study of Sn isotopes from Sn-82 to Sn-170, and the rupture into a bubble configuration of a nucleus (constrained to spherical symmetry) which takes place when Z(2)/A exceeds about 100 .