Skyrme Forces and Their Applications in Low Energy Nuclear Physics

This paper reviews the present status of Skyrme forces and their applications in the field of low energy nuclear physics as an effective nucleon-nucleon interaction. Their applications in the following five domains are presented:1). Hartree-Fock (HF), selfconsistent semiclassical (SCSC) calculations and nuclear ground state properties;2). random phase approximation (RPA), sum rule approach and properties of nuclear giant resonances;3). calculations of microscopic nucleon-nucleus optical potentials and related quantities;4). calculations of nucleus-nucleus optical potentials and fusion barriers;5). multifragmentation, liquid-gas phase transition and instability of hot/compressed nuclei.