Monte Carlo Methods in Statistical Physics (Topics in Current Physics, 7) - Hardcover

Inhaltsangabe

The "Monte Carlo method" is a method of computer simulation of a system with many degrees of freedom, and thus has widespread applications in science. It has its name from the use of "random numbers" to simulate statistical fluctuations in order to numerically generate probability distributions (which otherwise may not be known explicitly since the considered systems are so complex). While the method would work in principle also with random numbers generated at a roulette table, an ef­ fective and economic use of this method requires the use of high-speed digital computers. Thus the first successful application of this method to a problem of statistical thermodynamics dates back only to 1953, when Metropolis and co-workers studied a "fluid" consisting of hard disks. Since then this technique has experi­ enced an impetuous development which is likely to even speed up in the future, since better computers now available allow many fascinating applications. What are then the specific advantages of Monte Carlo "computer experiments"? To answer that question, one first notes that Monte Carlo methods yield information on "model systems" (where specific assumption about the effective forces between the atoms have been made) which in principle is numerically exact, i. e. , the results are accurate apart from statistical erros which can be made as small as desired if only enough computing time is invested.

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