Shell Model of the Nucleus
Describes the arrangement of nucleons within the nucleus, analogous to electron shells in atoms, explaining energy levels and stability.
📜
The statement of the theorem
The nuclear shell model describes the energy levels of nucleons (protons and neutrons) within the mean field potential generated by all other nucleons. The single-particle Hamiltonian is . The solutions to the Schrödinger equation, , yield quantized energy levels. The effective potential is often approximated by a Woods-Saxon potential. The total energy of the nucleus is determined by filling these single-particle states according to the Pauli principle, leading to the total energy , where are the occupied single-particle energy eigenvalues.