What is the Jellium Model? Magic Numbers Explained

[Fearless]

I am calculating some energylevels on the jellium model. But what is the jellium model (sorry to say, but google has failed me).

I understand that it's some kind of electron gas/electron sea model of atomclusters. Like for example sodium. Maybe it's correlated to magic numbers. If someone could explain what magic numbers is (or at least how you find out if like 40 sodium atoms together is a magic number-constellation).

(I have used the searchfunction and the newest thread with jellium in it was somewhat of a zombie).

 

[Cthugha]

I don't know, whether that helps you much, but the basic idea of the jellium model of solids is to first distinguish between conduction electrons and core ions. Then you do not consider the core ions as localized, but simply use a constant background charge density to describe them.

However afaik this model is only sensible for weakly interacting metals or surfaces and clusters.