  The random phase approximation (RPA) for the correlation energy functional of
density functional theory has recently attracted renewed interest. Formulated
in terms of the Kohn-Sham (KS) orbitals and eigenvalues, it promises to resolve
some of the fundamental limitations of the local density and generalized
gradient approximations, as for instance their inability to account for
dispersion forces. First results for atoms, however, indicate that the RPA
overestimates correlation effects as much as the orbital-dependent functional
obtained by a second order perturbation expansion on the basis of the KS
Hamiltonian. In this contribution, three simple extensions of the RPA are
examined, (a) its augmentation by an LDA for short-range correlation, (b) its
combination with the second order exchange term, and (c) its combination with a
partial resummation of the perturbation series including the second order
exchange. It is found that the ground state and correlation energies as well as
the ionization potentials resulting from the extensions (a) and (c) for closed
sub-shell atoms are clearly superior to those obtained with the unmodified RPA.
Quite some effort is made to ensure highly converged RPA data, so that the
results may serve as benchmark data. The numerical techniques developed in this
context, in particular for the inherent frequency integration, should also be
useful for applications of RPA-type functionals to more complex systems.
