Statistical Potential for Actinide Metal Energy Band Calculations

Abstract

A simple analytic potential energy function, $V$, is developed from a Thomas-Fermi ion model for the actinide metals and is found to provide good agreement with wave functions derived from the Hartree self-consistent field approach by Ridley for the $5f$, $6d$, and $7s$ states of uranium. The estimated $5f$, $6d$, and $7s$ bandwidths are 1.1, 7.3, and 11.8 ev, respectively, in satisfactory agreement with those of Ridley.Dirac's equations are solved for the $5f$, $6d$, and $7s$ states using this nonrelativistic potential energy function with the Wigner-Seitz boundary condition. The relativistic energy shift for the $7s$ state is roughly 13 ev.