Variational Calculation of the Ground State of the Lithium Atom

The ground state of the lithium atom is calculated using wave functions containing interelectronic separation terms. A 13-term properly symmetrized variational function is employed yielding a ground-state energy of - 14.9559 in units of $\frac{e^2}{2a_0}$ as compared to the previous best value of - 14.9542 using the superposition of 45 configurations and the experimental value of - - 14.9561. A brief discussion of applications and extensions of the present work is given along with solutions of the integrals which occur.