Thermal Hartree-Fock calculations for finite nuclei

The Skyrme-Vautherin-Brink effective interaction is used to calculate the energy spectrum of some closed shell nuclei. The simple structure of this interaction allows one to express the Hamiltonian density of the system as an algebraic function of the nuclear density and the kinetic energy density. The Hartree-Fock equations then assume a simple form, namely, a system of non-linear differential equations, rather than integro-differential equations which is generally the case for the Hartree-Fock calculations with finite-range interactions. The zero-temperature calculations for closed shell nuclei are performed for seven different sets of Skyrme parameters, and a comparison is made with the experimental data. The calculations are then extended to finite temperatures (approximately MeV). A knowledge of the thermal properties of iron-peaked nuclei is vital for a determination of the equation of state for the hydrodynamics of pre-supernova collapse. A further application of the finite-temperature calculations is in the prediction of de-excitation mechanisms for nuclei which become temporary repositories of energy in inelastic heavy-ion collisions. (author)