  A new method to calculate spectroscopic properties of deformed nuclei is
proposed: configuration interaction on top of projected density functional
theory (CI-PDFT). The general concept of this approach is discussed in the
framework of covariant density functional theory and its validity is
illustrated in an application to the yrast band of the nucleus Cr-54. It is
found that the experimentally observed excitation energies for the yrast band
in Cr-54 can be well reproduced. In contrast to conventional shell-model
calculations, there is no core and only a relatively small number of
configurations is sufficient for a satisfying description. No new parameters
are necessary, because the effective interaction is derived from an universal
density functional given in the literature.
