  Variational calculations of the deuteron and the triton illustrate that
simple wave function ans\"atze become more effective after evolving the
nucleon-nucleon potential to lower momentum (``$V_{low k}$''). This is
consistent with many-body wave functions becoming much less correlated at lower
cutoffs, as shown by two-particle wave functions and pair-distribution
functions in nuclear matter. These results motivate a program to explore
variational many-body calculations of binding energies and other low-energy
nuclear properties using low-momentum potentials.
