An energy density functional-pseudopotential method for calculating the cohesive properties of metals

The great advantages of Thomas-Fermi approaches are their simplicity, flexibility and physical immediacy. However, it is generally accepted that such approaches are not capable of yielding quantitative results for the cohesive properties of metals. I demonstrate within the Thomas-Fermi approach that if one employs hard-core pseudopotentials derived from atomic charge densities, then accurate static properties for simple metals can be obtained.