Shell structure and shapes of fermion microsystems: A comparative study of 3He and Na clusters

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Abstract
A semiempirical shell-correction method including ellipsoidal deformations is used to determine binding energies of open-shell, unpolarized 3HeN clusters. Shell effects, shapes, and other ground-state properties (like the chemical potential) are determined. 3HeN clusters are found to be substantially less deformed due to their relatively high surface energy as compared to that of alkali-metal clusters (e.g., sodium clusters). As a result, the size-evolutionary patterns associated with 3HeN clusters are significantly different than the corresponding ones for NaN clusters. In particular, odd–even oscillations and signatures of subshell closures are absent in the case of 3HeN clusters, while they are prominent in the case of alkali-metal clusters.