Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov description of nuclei near the neutron-drip line

We consider the Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov theory of nuclei in the coordinate representation and derive and solve the HFB equation for the Skyrme effective interaction. Ground-state wave functions and energies of the tin isotopes with 100 ⩽ A ⩽ 176 have been determined and the results have been compared with the predictions of the HF+BCS and macroscopic-microscopic models. The lightest tin isotope which is unstable with respect to a neutron emission is predicted by the HFB method to be ¹⁵³Sn. In the region of nuclei where experimental data are not available the macroscopic-microscopic and self-consistent approximations give substantially different results.