Deals with the computer simulation of complex physical sys- tems encounteredin condensed-matter physics and statistical mechanics as well as in related fields such as metallurgy, polymer research, lattice gauge theory and quantummechanics.

The sixth edition of this highly successful textbook provides a detailed introduction to Monte Carlo simulation in statistical physics, which deals with the computer simulation of many-body systems in condensed matter physics and related fields of physics and beyond (traffic flows, stock market fluctuations, etc.). Using random numbers generated by a computer, these powerful simulation methods calculate probability distributions, making it possible to estimate the thermodynamic properties of various systems. The book describes the theoretical background of these methods, enabling newcomers to perform such simulations and to analyse their results. It features a modular structure, with two chapters providing a basic pedagogic introduction plus exercises suitable for university courses; the remaining chapters cover major recent developments in the field. This edition has been updated with two new chapters dealing with recently developed powerful special algorithms and with finite size scaling tools for the study of interfacial phenomena, which are important for nanoscience. Previous editions have been highly praised and widely used by both students and advanced researchers.

In the seven years since this volume first appeared. there has been an enormous expansion of the range of problems to which Monte Carlo computer simulation methods have been applied. This fact has already led to the addition of a companion volume ("Applications of the Monte Carlo Method in Statistical Physics", Topics in Current Physics. Vol . 36), edited in 1984, to this book. But the field continues to develop further; rapid progress is being made with respect to the implementation of Monte Carlo algorithms, the construction of special-purpose computers dedicated to exe cute Monte Carlo programs, and new methods to analyze the "data" generated by these programs. Brief descriptions of these and other developments, together with numerous addi tional references, are included in a new chapter , "Recent Trends in Monte Carlo Simulations" , which has been written for this second edition. Typographical correc tions have been made and fuller references given where appropriate, but otherwise the layout and contents of the other chapters are left unchanged. Thus this book, together with its companion volume mentioned above, gives a fairly complete and up to-date review of the field. It is hoped that the reduced price of this paperback edition will make it accessible to a wide range of scientists and students in the fields to which it is relevant: theoretical phYSics and physical chemistry , con densed-matter physics and materials science, computational physics and applied mathematics, etc.

Unique coverage of Monte Carlo methods for both continuum and lattice systems, explaining particularly analysis of phase transitions.

This revised fourth edition provides an introduction to computer simulations in physics, cutting-edge algorithms, essential techniques, and petascale computing.

Monte Carlo simulations comprise a substantial part of the new and third major arm of investigation in the physical sciences that has emerged in recent times, to augment the traditional ones of experiment and theory. With the advent of high-speed digital computing, numerical simulations techniques like Monte Carlo have been very successful in extracting real world observations out of seemingly intractable theoretical models.

The Monte Carlo method is a numerical technique to model the probability of all possible outcomes in a process that cannot easily be predicted due to the interference of random variables. It is a technique used to understand the impact of risk, uncertainty, and ambiguity in forecasting models. However, this technique is complicated by the amount of computer time required to achieve sufficient precision in the simulations and evaluate their accuracy. This book discusses the general principles of the Monte Carlo method with an emphasis on techniques to decrease simulation time and increase accuracy.

The Monte Carlo method is now widely used and commonly accepted as an important and useful tool in solid state physics and related fields. It is broadly recognized that the technique of "computer simulation" is complementary to both analytical theory and experiment, and can significantly contribute to ad vancing the understanding of various scientific problems. Widespread applications of the Monte Carlo method to various fields of the statistical mechanics of condensed matter physics have already been reviewed in two previously published books, namely Monte Carlo Methods in Statistical Physics (Topics Curro Phys. , Vol. 7, 1st edn. 1979, 2ndedn. 1986) and Applications of the Monte Carlo Method in Statistical Physics (Topics Curro Phys. , Vol. 36, 1st edn. 1984, 2nd edn. 1987). Meanwhile the field has continued its rapid growth and expansion, and applications to new fields have appeared that were not treated at all in the above two books (e. g. studies of irreversible growth phenomena, cellular automata, interfaces, and quantum problems on lattices). Also, new methodic aspects have emerged, such as aspects of efficient use of vector com puters or parallel computers, more efficient analysis of simulated systems con figurations, and methods to reduce critical slowing down at i>hase transitions. Taken together with the extensive activity in certain traditional areas of research (simulation of classical and quantum fluids, of macromolecular materials, of spin glasses and quadrupolar glasses, etc.

This is the proceedings of the "8th IMACS Seminar on Monte Carlo Methods" held from August 29 to September 2, 2011 in Borovets, Bulgaria, and organized by the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (IMACS). Included are 24 papers which cover all topics presented in the sessions of the seminar: stochastic computation and complexity of high dimensional problems, sensitivity analysis, high-performance computations for Monte Carlo applications, stochastic metaheuristics for optimization problems, sequential Monte Carlo methods for large-scale problems, semiconductor devices and nanostructures. The history of the IMACS Seminar on Monte Carlo Methods goes back to April 1997 when the first MCM Seminar was organized in Brussels: 1st IMACS Seminar, 1997, Brussels, Belgium 2nd IMACS Seminar, 1999, Varna, Bulgaria 3rd IMACS Seminar, 2001, Salzburg, Austria 4th IMACS Seminar, 2003, Berlin, Germany 5th IMACS Seminar, 2005, Tallahassee, USA 6th IMACS Seminar, 2007, Reading, UK 7th IMACS Seminar, 2009, Brussels, Belgium 8th IMACS Seminar, 2011, Borovets, Bulgaria

In recent years there has been a considerable growth in interest in Monte Carlo methods, and quantum Monte Carlo methods in particlular. Clearly, the ever-increasing computational power available to researchers, has stimulated the development of improved algorithms, and almost all fields in computational physics and chemistry are affected by their applications. Here we just mention some fields that are covered in the lecture notes contained in this volume, viz. electronic structure studies of atoms, molecules and solids, nuclear structure, and low- or zero-temperature studies of strongly-correlated quantum systems, both of the continuum and lattice variety, and cooperative phenomena in classical systems. Although each area of application may have its own peculiarities, requiring specialized solutions, all share the same basic methodology. It was with the intention of bringing together researchers and students from these various areas that the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Quantum Monte Carlo Methods in Physics and Chemistry was held at Cornell University from 12 to 24 July, 1998. This book contains material presented at the Institute in a series of mini courses in quantum Monte Carlo methods. The program consisted of lectures predominantly of a pedagogical nature, and of more specialized seminars. The levels varied from introductory to advanced, and from basic methods to applications; the program was intended for an audience working towards the Ph.D. level and above. Despite the essentially pedagogic nature of the Institute, several of the lectures and seminars contained in this volume present recent developments not previously published.