  We investigate truncation schemes to reduce the computational cost of
calculating correlations by the generator coordinate method based on mean-field
wave functions. As our test nuclei, we take examples for which accurate
calculations are available. These include a strongly deformed nucleus, 156Sm, a
nucleus with strong pairing, 120Sn, the krypton isotope chain which contains
examples of soft deformations, and the lead isotope chain which includes the
doubly magic 208Pb. We find that the Gaussian overlap approximation for angular
momentum projection is effective and reduces the computational cost by an order
of magnitude. Cost savings in the deformation degrees of freedom are harder to
realize. A straightforward Gaussian overlap approximation can be applied rather
reliably to angular-momentum projected states based on configuration sets
having the same sign deformation (prolate or oblate), but matrix elements
between prolate and oblate deformations must be treated with more care. We
propose a two-dimensional GOA using a triangulation procedure to treat the
general case with both kinds of deformation. With the computational gains from
these approximations, it should be feasible to carry out a systematic
calculation of correlation energies for the nuclear mass table.
