Computer Simulation Studies in Condensed-Matter Physics XIV

Over the last 30 years, Professor David P. Landau's trailblazing research achievements and influential leadership have helped establish computer sim­ ulation as a powerful and incisive mode of scientific investigation, now on a par in the physical sciences with experimental and theoretical research. This year, we were very pleased to organize a special one-day symposium honor­ ing the 60th birthday of our distinguished colleague and friend. This event was held in conjunction with and immediately following the annual computer simulations workshop that Professor Landau founded 14 years ago. Many of the papers presented at this honorary symposium are integrated into this pro­ ceedings volume, and the accompanying photograph of participants serves to commemorate this very special event. This volume contains both invited papers and contributed presentations on problems in both classical and quantum condensed matter physics. We hope that each reader will benefit from specialized results as well as profit from exposure to new algorithms, methods of analysis, and conceptual devel­ opments.

This is a "status report" based on the presentations and discussions which took place during the 14th Annual Workshop on Computer Simulation Studies in Condensed Matter Physics at the Center for Simulational Physics at the University of Georgia in February 2001. It provides a broad overview of the most recent advances in the field, spanning a wide range of topical areas in simulational condensed matter physics. These include recent developments in simulations of classical statistical mechanics models, electronic structure calculations, quantum Monte Carlo simulations, and simulations of polymers. New physical results and novel simulational and data analysis methods are presented.