The chapters in this monograph are contributions from the Advances in Quantum Monte Carlo symposium held at Pacifichem 2010, International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies. The symposium was dedicated to celebrate the career of James B. Anderson, a notable researcher in the field. Quantum Monte Carlo provides an ab initio solution to the Schroedinger equation by performing a random walk through configuration space in imaginary time. Benchmark calculations suggest that its most commonly-used variant, "fixed-node" diffusion Monte Carlo, estimates energies with an accuracy comparable to that of high-level coupled-cluster calculations. These two methods, each having advantages and disadvantages, are complementary "gold-standards" of quantum chemistry. There are challenges facing researchers in the field, several of which are addressed in the chapters in this monograph. These include improving the accuracy and precision of quantum Monte Carlo calculations; understanding the exchange nodes and utilizing the simulated electron distribution; extending the method to large and/or experimentally-challenging systems; and developing hybrid molecular mechanics/dynamics and Monte Carlo algorithms.

Advances in Quantum Monte Carlo confronts the challenges in quantum mechanics that have become progressively more prevalent in the last five years. This book will cover the needed advances in Quantum Monte Carlo methods including improvements and a complete range of applications. Advances in Quantum Monte Carlo will also include a complete spectrum of applications.

Monte Carlo methods are a class of computational algorithms for simulating the behavior of a wide range of various physical and mathematical systems (with many variables). Their utility has increased with general availability of fast computers, and new applications are continually forthcoming. The basic concepts of Monte Carlo are both simple and straightforward and rooted in statistics and probability theory, their defining characteristic being that the methodology relies on random or pseudo-random sequences of numbers. It is a technique of numerical analysis based on the approximate solution of a problem using repeated sampling experiments and observing the proportion of times a given property is satisfied.
The term Monte Carlo was first used to describe calculational methods based on chance in the 1940s, but the methods themselves preceded the term by as much as a century. Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) first appeared in 1982 and similarly was preceded by development of the related calculational methodology. The success of QMC methods over the past few decades has been remarkable, and this book will clearly demonstrate that success in its discussion of applications. For isolated molecules, the basic material of chemistry, QMC methods have produced exact solutions of the Schroedinger equation for very small systems and the most accurate solutions available for very large systems. The range of applications is impressive: folding of protein molecules, interactions in liquids, structure modeling in crystals and enzymes, quantum dots, designing heat shields and aerodynamic forms, architecture, design, business and economics, and even cinema and video games (3D modeling).
This booktakes a similar approach to Henry Schaefers classic book Quantum Chemistry (OUP, 1984 now a Dover edition), collecting summaries of some of the most important papers in the quantum Monte Carlo literature, tying everything together with analysis and discussion of applications. Quantum Monte Carlo is a reference book for quantum Monte Carlo applications, belonging near the desk of every quantum chemist, physicist, and a wide range of scientists and engineers across many disciplines, destined to become a classic.

Instant Physics pulls together all the pivotal physics knowledge and thought into one concise volume. Each page contains a discrete 'cheat sheet', which tells you the most important facts in bite-sized chunks, meaning you can become an expert in an instant. From black holes to black body radiation, telescopes to microscopes, quantum mechanics to general relativity, every key figure, discovery or idea is explained with succinct and lively text and graphics. Perfect for the knowledge hungry and time poor, this collection of graphic-led lessons makes psychology interesting and accessible. Everything you need to know is here.

This book deals with underlying basic concepts in relativity. The fundamental work of Stueckelberg, who formulated a consistent relativistic classical and quantum dynamics, generalized for application to many-body systems by Horwitz and Piron (SHP theory), is explained with emphasis on its conceptual content. The two-body bound state and scattering theory are also discussed. The ideas are involved in the Lindner experiment showing interference in time and the proposed experiment of Palacios et al. searching for the persistence of entanglement at unequal times is discussed. The meaning of the Newton-Wigner position operator and the Landau-Peierls construction in terms of relativistic dynamics is given. Finally, the embedding of the SHP theory into the framework of general relativity, providing a canonical structure with particle coordinates and momenta, is studied, carrying with it new concepts in relativistic dynamics.

A discourse on time, gravity, and the universe that takes the reader through the subtleties of time, the origin of the universe, and physical evolution in Einstein's theory and its extensions. Can time and causality remain fundamental when the classical ideal of spacetime becomes a concept of limited applicability in quantum gravity? A thorough exposition on the canonical framework of Einstein's theory and its extensions reveals the synergy between gravitation and the cosmic clock of our expanding universe that renders time concrete, physical, and comprehensible. In conjunction with a paradigm shift from four-covariance to just spatial diffeomorphism invariance, causal time-ordering of the quantum state of the universe and its evolution in cosmic time become meaningful. The quantum state of the universe is the embodiment of our shared past, present, and future. The advocated framework prompts natural extensions and improvements to Einstein's theory. A salient feature is the addition of a Cotton-York term to the physical Hamiltonian. Besides bringing improved ultraviolet convergence, this radically changes the solution to the initial data problem and the quantum origin of the universe. It lends support to the quantum beginning of the universe as an exact Chern-Simons Hartle-Hawking state that features Euclidean-Lorentzian instanton tunneling. A signature of this state is that it manifests, at the lowest order approximation, scale-invariant two-point correlation function for transverse-traceless quantum metric fluctuations. This initial quantum state also implies, at the level of expectation values, a low-entropy hot smooth Robertson-Walker beginning that is in accord with Penrose's Weyl Curvature Hypothesis. Consequently, the gravitational arrow of time of increasing spatial volume and the thermodynamic second law arrow of time of increasing entropy concur as our universe expands and ages.

Unified Non-Local Relativistic Theory of Transport Processes highlights the most significant features of non-local relativistic theory, which is a highly effective tool for solving many physical problems in areas where the classical local theory runs into difficulties. The book provides the fundamental science behind new non-local physics - generalized for relativistic cases and applied in a range of scales - from transport phenomena in massless physical systems to unified theory of dissipative structures. The book complements the author's previous monograph on Unified Non-Local Theory of Transport Processes (Elsevier, 2015), which is mainly devoted to non-relativistic non-local physics. Nevertheless, the theory as handled in this new work is outlined independently so the book can be studied on its own.

Modern physics has forever changed the way we view and understand physical reality. With a wide spectrum of theories, from general relativity to quantum mechanics, our conceptions of the very big and the very small are no longer intuitively obvious. Many philosophers, even scientists have expressed the opinion that the counterintuitive conclusions posited in modern physics are best understood using spiritual terminology. In the 11 lectures in this volume, Harav Ginsburgh, one of our generation's foremost scholars, innovators, and teachers of Kabbalah, reveals how modern physics reflects foundational concepts in the Torah's inner dimension. A wide range of topics from relativity (special and general), quantum mechanics, and string theory are addressed. Elegantly and gracefully, Harav Ginsburgh's exposition of the topics switches back and forth between the scientific and Torah perspectives. With his deep insight, Harav Ginsburgh gives even well-known physical concepts a refreshing and new treatment. Apart from carefully drawing parallels and correspondences between the Torah's inner dimension and modern physics, in these lectures, Harav Ginsburgh proposes new directions for scientific research into important areas such as a unified field theory, CPT symmetry, the relationship between acceleration and gravitation, and the possibility of uncovering additional dimensions in physical reality, demonstrating how the Torah's depth can be used to fertilize science and further our understanding of nature.
Harav Yitzchak Ginsburgh is one of our generation s foremost expositors of Kabbalah and Chassidut and is the author of over 100 books in Hebrew, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. The interface between Torah and science is one of the areas in which he is known for his breakthrough work, forging a path in revolutionizing the way we think about the relationship between Judaism and modern science. He is also the founder and dean of the Ba al Shem Tov School of Jewish Psychology, and his unique approach to mathematics in Torah is now the basis of a new math curriculum for Jewish schools.

Somewhere near the heart of existence, shimmers the ethereal beauty of the mystery of Time. Though seemingly familiar to us all, time harbours secrets that penetrate the very deepest levels of reality, and though we feel certain in our conviction that we're swept forth upon the crest of its never-ending flow, with Einstein's discovery of relativity came what is perhaps the most stunning realisation in the entire history of scientific thought - the wondrously breathtaking revelation that in reality, there's actually no such thing as the passage of time... How can this extraordinary truth be reconciled with the reality we so surely suppose to experience? What does it mean for the very human concerns of life and death, free will, identity, and self? What should it mean for our philosophy? And how should it inform our world view? The search for answers leads through the fantastical realm of quantum physics, and the strange parallel worlds it describes, as we discover that the answers which such questions provoke, are perhaps even more profound than the questions themselves. Buried deep within the riddle of time, lies the staggering beauty of the world. As we peel back the layers to try and sneak a glimpse into eternity, we find a light shining not only upon the nature of reality, but on the nature of ourselves...

The book aims to give a mathematical presentation of the theory of general relativity (that is, spacetime-geometry-based gravitation theory) to advanced undergraduate mathematics students. Mathematicians will find spacetime physics presented in the definition-theorem-proof format familiar to them. The given precise mathematical definitions of physical notions help avoiding pitfalls, especially in the context of spacetime physics describing phenomena that are counter-intuitive to everyday experiences.In the first part, the differential geometry of smooth manifolds, which is needed to present the spacetime-based gravitation theory, is developed from scratch. Here, many of the illustrating examples are the Lorentzian manifolds which later serve as spacetime models. This has the twofold purpose of making the physics forthcoming in the second part relatable, and the mathematics learnt in the first part less dry. The book uses the modern coordinate-free language of semi-Riemannian geometry. Nevertheless, to familiarise the reader with the useful tool of coordinates for computations, and to bridge the gap with the physics literature, the link to coordinates is made through exercises, and via frequent remarks on how the two languages are related.In the second part, the focus is on physics, covering essential material of the 20th century spacetime-based view of gravity: energy-momentum tensor field of matter, field equation, spacetime examples, Newtonian approximation, geodesics, tests of the theory, black holes, and cosmological models of the universe.Prior knowledge of differential geometry or physics is not assumed. The book is intended for self-study, and the solutions to the (over 200) exercises are included.

This article is dedicated to Claudio Bunster on the occasion of his 60th birthday. It is a great honor to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to him, who in my opinion has been the greatest national physicist ever, for his wise guidance and intrepid support through the years. As a Chilean, I can further tell that Claudio's contributions have been well far beyond theoretical physics, helping our country to be ready to face future challenges through science. Gravity in diverse dimensions is a subject in which Claudio has done major c- tributions, encouraging in many ways the following work, that is being made along different fronts in collaboration with my colleagues Diego Correa, Gustavo Dotti, Julio Oliva and David Tempo. Thepursuitforwormholesolutions,whicharehandlesinthespacetimetopology, it is as old as General Relativity and it has appeared in theoretical physics within different subjects, ranging from the attempt of describing physics as pure geometry, as in the Einstein-Rosen bridge model of a particle [1], to the concept of "charge withoutcharge"[2],aswell asindifferentissuesconcerningthe Euclideanapproach to quantum gravity (see, e.g., [3]). More recently, the systematic study of this kind of objects was pushed forward by the works of Morris, Thorne and Yurtsever [4,5].