A THOMAS-FERMI MODEL OF NUCLEI .1. FORMULATION AND 1ST RESULTS

We formulate a Thomas-Fermi model of average nuclear properties (i.e., of nuclear masses, deformation energies, density distributions, optical model potentials, etc.) by generalizing the momentum-dependent Seyler-Blanchard effective nucleon-nucleon interaction. In addition to reproducing the binding energy, density, symmetry energy, and surface energy of nuclear matter, the generalized model can be adjusted to reproduce the diffuseness of the nuclear density distribution, as well as theoretical estimates of the binding properties of neutron matter. The depth of the nuclear optical potential, including its energy and isospin dependences, can also be reproduced. The above properties of nuclei and of neutron matter determine quite firmly the seven adjustable parameters of the theory, yielding a model that, apart from shell effects and the discreteness of nucleons, is expected to be accurate for very small or very deformed systems and to be reliable for extrapolating to extremely large hypothetical nuclei, including systems with arbitrary neutron excess and arbitrary geometries, such as those that sometimes arise in astrophysical applications. A preliminary set of the model's parameters has been determined, and one of the predictions of the theory is that the measured values of the nuclear surface energy and surface diffuseness, taken together, place a significant constraint on the value of the compressibility coefficient of standard nuclear matter. This constraint will provide a useful estimate of this quantity once the final set of adjustable parameters has been determined. The present paper is the first part in a comprehensive application of the model to conventional as well as exotic aspects of nuclear physics. © 1990.