Precise solution of few-body problems with the stochastic variational method on a correlated Gaussian basis

Precise variational solutions are given for problems involving diverse fermionic and bosonic (N=2–7)-body systems. The trial wave functions are chosen to be combinations of correlated Gaussians, which are constructed from products of the single-particle Gaussian wave packets through an integral transformation, thereby facilitating fully analytical calculations of the matrix elements. The nonlinear parameters of the trial function are chosen by a stochastic technique. The method has proved very efficient, virtually exact, and it seems feasible for any few-body bound-state problems emerging in nuclear or atomic physics.