Abstract
Abstract The dimensionless Thomas-Fermi equation for isolated atoms is first generalized to apply to atoms in cold dense plasmas. The form of the potential distribution for an atom in an electron liquid, such as exists in the conduction band of a molten metal, is then characterized by the ratio s = μ0 b/Ze2 of the chemical potential μ0 of the plasma to a characteristic energy Ze2/b of the Thomas-Fermi atom with nuclear charge Ze, b being a length proportional to Z−⅓. A WKB approach to the bound-state level spectrum e for the atom in the plasma is presented and some qualitative deductions made. Finally, such potential distributions, scaling with the parameter s, plus the pair correlation function g(r), yield an approximate partition function and electronic density of states of a liquid metal.
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