Eur. Phys. J. A (2013) 49: 43
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2013-13043-6

Special Article - Tools for Experiment and Theory

Correlation testing for nuclear density functional theory

Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 87545, Los Alamos, NM, USA

^* e-mail: mbertolli@lanl.gov

Received: 3 January 2013
Revised: 14 February 2013
Accepted: 18 March 2013
Published online: 12 April 2013

Abstract

Correlation testing provides a quick method of discriminating amongst potential terms to include in a nuclear mass formula or functional and is a necessary tool for further nuclear mass models; however a firm mathematical foundation of the method has not been previously set forth. Here, the necessary justification for correlation testing is developed and more detail of the motivation behind its use is given. Examples are provided to clarify the method analytically and for computational benchmarking. We provide a quantitative demonstration of the method’s performance and short-comings, highlighting also potential issues a user may encounter. In concluding we suggest some possible future developments to improve the limitations of the method.