  The first results of a new three-dimensional, finite temperature
Skyrme-Hartree-Fock+BCS study of the properties of inhomogeneous nuclear matter
at densities and temperatures leading to the transition to uniform nuclear
matter are presented. A constraint is placed on the two independent components
of the quadrupole moment in order to self-consistently explore the shape phase
space of nuclear configurations. The scheme employed naturally allows effects
such as (i) neutron drip, which results in an external neutron gas, (ii) the
variety of exotic nuclear shapes expected for extremely neutron heavy nuclei,
and (iii) the subsequent dissolution of these nuclei into nuclear matter. In
this way, the equation of state can be calculated across phase transitions from
lower densities (where one dimensional Hartree-Fock suffices) through to
uniform nuclear matter without recourse to interpolation techniques between
density regimes described by different physical models.
