Semiclassical atom

Abstract

Semiclassical quantization is incorporated into the average potential approach to atomic physics. The stationary energy functional is shown to be the sum of the Thomas-Fermi functional and a mainly oscillatory part. The latter turns out to be a small correction for sufficiently large atomic numbers, allowing perturbative treatment. Further, a detailed study of semiclassical spectra, with emphasis on energy degeneracy, is performed.