Improving nuclear mass predictions through the Garvey-Kelson relations

We describe a procedure to improve the nuclear mass predictions obtained by means of the Garvey-Kelson iterative process. This is achieved by reducing the degrees of freedom involved in the process, expressing the Garvey-Kelson relations in terms of one-neutron and one-proton separation energies, and using a theoretical estimation for them. This approach has the effect that the intrinsic error associated with the iterative process grows significantly more slowly. This leads to a better quality of nuclear mass predictions and therefore extends the range for which the predictions are accurate. We test these ideas using different mass models.