Atomic electron binding energies in fermium

Abstract

Calculations of the binding energies of electrons in fermium by using a relativistic local-density functional theory are reported. It is found that relaxation effects are nonnegligible for inner core orbitals. Calculated orbital binding energies are compared with those due to nonlocal Dirac-Fock calculations and also with those determined experimentally from conversion electron spectroscopy. Finally the usefulness of the local-density approximation for the study of heavy atomic and condensed systems is discussed.