  We compute the ground state energy of atoms and quantum dots with a large
number N of electrons. Both systems are described by a non-relativistic
Hamiltonian of electrons in a d-dimensional space. The electrons interact via
the Coulomb potential. In the case of atoms (d=3), the electrons are attracted
by the nucleus, via the Coulomb potential. In the case of quantum dots (d=2),
the electrons are confined by an external potential, whose shape can be varied.
We show that the dominant terms of the ground state energy are those given by a
semiclassical Hartree-exchange energy, whose N to infinity limit corresponds to
Thomas-Fermi theory. This semiclassical Hartree-exchange theory creates
oscillations in the ground state energy as a function of N. These oscillations
reflect the dynamics of a classical particle moving in the presence of the
Thomas-Fermi potential. The dynamics is regular for atoms and some dots, but in
general in the case of dots, the motion contains a chaotic component. We
compute the correlation effects. They appear at the order N ln N for atoms, in
agreement with available data. For dots, they appear at the order N.
