Correlation energy contribution to nuclear masses

During the last few years, much effort has been made to develop a microscopic description of the nuclear masses based on mean field theory. The accuracy achieved, when phenomenological parameters are added to take specific effects into account (Wigner term, cut-off in pairing space, etc.), leads to a rms of 0.6–0.7 MeV [S. Goriely, F. Tondeur, J.M. Pearson, Atom Data Nucl. Data Tables 77 (2001) 311] (see also [M. Bender, P.H. Heenen, P.G. Reinhard, Rev. Modern Phys. 75 (2003) 121]). We present evidence that further progress can be made by taking into account medium polarization effects associated with surface and pairing vibrations [S. Baroni, M. Armati, F. Barranco, R.A. Broglia, G. Colò, G. Gori, E. Vigezzi, J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys. 30 (2004) 1353; S. Baroni, F. Barranco, P.F. Bortignon, R.A. Broglia, G. Colò, E. Vigezzi, Phys. Rev. C 74 (2006) 024305] (see also [M. Bender, G.F. Bertsch, P.-H. Heenen, Phys. Rev. C 73 (2006) 034322]).