Staging: A sampling technique for the Monte Carlo evaluation of path integrals

Abstract

We introduce a new sampling technique, called staging, which is likely to have applicability in the Monte Carlo evaluation of path integrals. In order to circumvent the problem of high attrition rates in the isomorphic classical system, allowed configurations are constructed with the use of a staging technique (algorithm). To illustrate the utility of this approach, the method is applied to a single quantum particle in a rigid bcc hard-sphere lattice and in a disordered system of fixed hard spheres.