Tangent planes and the mean-field approximation
arXiv:physics/0407126
Abstract
Local linearization is highlighted to explain the success of the orbital approximation in positive response to Scerri's comments on the electronic configuration model. The relevance of Rydberg states is made clear.
v1: 11 pgs., v2: 6 pgs., v3: 5 pgs., pedagogical streamlining, dropped sections, style edits, v4,5: 3 pgs., 2 figures, reformatted as review letter, REVTeX