Global Studies of Axial Shape Asymmetry of the Nuclear Ground State

In the macroscopic-microscopic model we have calculated potential energy surfaces versus $\epsilon_2$, $\epsilon_4$, and the axial asymmetry shape coordinate $\gamma$ for more than 7000 nuclei throughout the nuclear chart. Minima and the saddle points between them are studied with a water immersion technique. We discuss where we calculate that nuclei are axially deformed in their ground state and study the consequences when this effect is incorporated in the model for nuclear masses.