Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface to the first edition
- Preface to the second edition
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Quantum scattering with a spherically symmetric potential
- 3 The variational method for the Schrödinger equation
- 4 The Hartree–Fock method
- 5 Density functional theory
- 6 Solving the Schrödinger equation in periodic solids
- 7 Classical equilibrium statistical mechanics
- 8 Molecular dynamics simulations
- 9 Quantum molecular dynamics
- 10 The Monte Carlo method
- 11 Transfer matrix and diagonalisation of spin chains
- 12 Quantum Monte Carlo methods
- 13 The finite element method for partial differential equations
- 14 The lattice Boltzmann method for fluid dynamics
- 15 Computational methods for lattice field theories
- 16 High performance computing and parallelism
- Appendix A Numerical methods
- Appendix B Random number generators
- Index
Preface to the second edition
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface to the first edition
- Preface to the second edition
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Quantum scattering with a spherically symmetric potential
- 3 The variational method for the Schrödinger equation
- 4 The Hartree–Fock method
- 5 Density functional theory
- 6 Solving the Schrödinger equation in periodic solids
- 7 Classical equilibrium statistical mechanics
- 8 Molecular dynamics simulations
- 9 Quantum molecular dynamics
- 10 The Monte Carlo method
- 11 Transfer matrix and diagonalisation of spin chains
- 12 Quantum Monte Carlo methods
- 13 The finite element method for partial differential equations
- 14 The lattice Boltzmann method for fluid dynamics
- 15 Computational methods for lattice field theories
- 16 High performance computing and parallelism
- Appendix A Numerical methods
- Appendix B Random number generators
- Index
Summary
Six years have passed since the first edition of this book appeared. In these years I have learned a lot more about computational physics – a process which will hopefully never stop. I learned from books and papers, but also from the excellent colleagues with whom I worked on teaching and research during this period. Some of this knowledge has found its place in this edition, which is a substantial extension of the first.
New topics include finite elements, lattice Boltzmann simulation and density matrix renormalisation group, and there are quite a few sections here and there in the book which either give a more in-depth treatment of the material than can be found in the first edition, or extensions to widen the view on the subject matter. Moreover I have tried to eliminate as many errors as possible, but I am afraid that it is difficult for me to beat the entropy of possible things which can go wrong in writing a book of over 650 pages.
In Delft, where I have now a position involving a substantial amount of teaching, I worked for several years in the computational physics group of Simon the Leeuw. I participated in an exciting and enjoyable effort: teaching in an international context. Together with Rajiv Kalia, from Louisana State, we let students from Delft collaborate with Louisiana students, having them do projects in the field of computational physics.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Computational Physics , pp. xiv - xviPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007