FROM COMPRESSED ATOMS TO COMPRESSED MASSIVE NUCLEAR DENSITY CORES

Using the relativistic Thomas-Fermi equation we consider the two limiting cases of compressed atoms and compressed massive nuclear density cores. Each configuration is confined by a Wigner-Seitz cell and is characterized by a positive electron Fermi energy. In both cases there exists a limiting configuration with a maximum value of the electron Fermi energy reached when the Wigner—Seitz cell radius equals the radius of the core while the configuration with , reached when the Wigner-Seitz cell radius tends to infinity corresponds to the ground state of the system.