ON THE OPTICAL POTENTIAL OF AN ATTRACTIVE NONRELATIVISTIC DEGENERATE ELECTRON GAS INTERACTING WITH NUCLEAR MATTER

Abstract

The optical potential of an attractive nonrelativistic electron gas interacting with nuclear matter is determined on the basis of the concept of degenerate Fermi gas. In fact, the involved electrons are treated as three-dimensional quantum harmonic oscillators confined at the surface of a spherical (approximately ideal) potential well. Within this picture, the Fermi velocity is calculated as well as the spatial electron density at the surface of the potential well and the attractive force between the electron gas and the nuclear matter. In addition, considerations related to the Lippmann–Schwinger model are made.