Nuclear masses and fission barriers via the ETFSI method

a) Using the force SkSC4, on which the ETFSI-1 mass formula is based, we ha ve calculated the fission barriers of nearly 2000 nuclei, in the known regi on of the nuclear chart, in the highly neutron-rich region relevant to the r-process, and in the superheavy region. b) A new version of the ETFSI mass formula has been developed, the staggered-pairing feature of which leads t o an improved fit to neutron-separation and beta-decay energies. The underl ying force SkSC17 has the further advantages over SkSC4 of avoiding the col lapse of neutron matter, thereby making it suitable for calculating the equ ation of state in neutron stars.