Monte Carlo Methods in Statistical Physics

by K.P.N. Murthy

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. Its appeal to problems of statistical physics flows from the very objectives of this branch of physics, relating macroscopic observations to the laws of the microscopic world. This book elucidates the methodology of the Monte Carlo technique starting from the very beginning, and leads the reader to a level where he or she can take it up for serious research projects. Enough background material has been provided to make the text self-contained; there are several simple examples from Physics that lucidly illustrate the concept. The style of presentation is informal yet informative, and conceptual complexity has been handled in a user-friendly manner without sacrificing logical rigour. A serious student should find the presentation absorbing and educative.

144 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2004