Computational analysis of electronic polarizabilities in Thomas-Fermi theory of atoms.

Abstract

The electric polarizability,α, of a molecule is a measure of its ability to respond to an electric field and acquire an electric dipole moment, μ. The electric polarizability, α has been calculated for several ions and atoms by obtaining the perturbation of wave functions by an external field from a numerical solution of differential equation satisfied by perturbation. For helium-like ions an analytic solution was obtained by using the wave functions of Lowdin. In this paper the statistical Thomas-Fermi theory of atomic structure was used to describe the polarizaties of atoms and ions with closed electronic shells.

Journal of the Nigerian Association of Mathematical Physics Vol. 9 2005: pp. 501-506