Path integral Monte Carlo on a lattice

Riccardo Fantoni

Massimo Boninsegni, Nikolay V. Prokof'ev, Boris V. Svistunov

We present a new approach to path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) simulations based on the worm algorithm, originally developed for lattice models and extended here to continuous-space many-body systems. The scheme allows for efficient computation of thermodynamic properties, including winding numbers and off-diagonal correlations, for systems of much greater size than that accessible to conventional PIMC simulations. As an illustrative application of the method, we simulate the superfluid transition of 4He in two dimensions.

Jan Tobochnik, G. G. Batrouni, Harvey Gould

Mark O'Callaghan, Bruce N. Miller

The equilibrium properties of a single quantum particle (qp) interacting with a classical gas for a wide range of temperatures that explore the system's behavior in the classical as well as in the quantum regime is investigated. Both the qp and atoms are restricted to the sites of a one-dimensional lattice. A path integral formalism is developed within the context of the canonical ensemble in which the qp is represented by a closed, variable-step random walk on the lattice. Monte Carlo methods are employed to determine the system's properties. For the case of a free particle, analytical expressions for the energy, its fluctuations, and the qp-qp correlation function are derived and compared with the Monte Carlo simulations. To test the usefulness of the path integral formalism, the Metropolis algorithm is employed to determine the equilibrium properties of the qp for a periodic interaction potential, forcing the qp to occupy extended states. We consider a striped potential in one dimension, where every other lattice site is occupied by an atom with potential ε, and every other lattice site is empty. This potential serves as a stress test for the path integral formalism because of its rapid site-to-site variation. An analytical solution was determined in this case by utilizing Bloch's theorem due to the periodicity of the potential. Comparisons of the potential energy, the total energy, the energy fluctuations, and the correlation function are made between the results of the Monte Carlo simulations and the analytical calculations.

Mark O'Callaghan, Bruce N. Miller

The equilibrium properties of a single quantum particle (qp) interacting with a classical gas for a wide range of temperatures that explore the system's behavior in the classical as well as in the quantum regime is investigated. Both the qp and the atoms are restricted to sites on a one-dimensional lattice. A path integral formalism developed within the context of the canonical ensemble is utilized, where the qp is represented by a closed, variable-step random walk on the lattice. Monte Carlo methods are employed to determine the system's properties. To test the usefulness of the path integral formalism, the Metropolis algorithm is employed to determine the equilibrium properties of the qp in the context of a square well potential, forcing the qp to occupy bound states. We consider a one-dimensional square well potential where all atoms on the lattice are occupied with one atom with an on-site potential except for a contiguous set of sites of various lengths centered at the middle of the lattice. Comparison of the potential energy, the energy fluctuations, and the correlation function are made between the results of the Monte Carlo simulations and the numerical calculations.

Massimo Boninsegni