Optimization Algorithms in Physics

Alexander K. Hartmann, Heiko Rieger

350 pages, parution le 01/09/2001

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Résumé

The past few years have witnessed a substantial growth in the number of applications for optimization algorithms in solving problems in the field of physics. Examples include determining the structure of molecules, estimating the parameters of interacting galaxies, the ground states of electronic quantum systems, the behavior of disordered magnetic materials, and phase transitions in combinatorial optimization problems.

This book serves as an introduction to the field, while also presenting a complete overview of modern algorithms. The authors begin with the relevant foundations from computer science, graph theory and statistical physics, before moving on to thoroughly explain algorithms - backed by illustrative examples. They include pertinent mathematical transformations, which in turn are used to make the physical problems tractable with methods from combinatorial optimization. Throughout, a number of interesting results are shown for all physical examples. The final chapter provides numerous practical hints on software development, testing programs, and evaluating the results of computer experiments.

Contents

Introduction.
Computational complexity.
Graph theoretical concepts.
Introduction to statistical physics.
Simple graph algorithms.
Maximum-flow algorithms.
Minimum cost flows.
Linear Optimization methods.
Monte-Carlo methods.
Evolutionary methods.
Algorithms for spin glasses.
Practical aspects.
Applications.
Small world networks.
Random field systems.
Solid-on solid models.
Traveling salesman problem.
Glassy systems.
Orbital parameters of interacting galaxies.
d spin glasses.

L'auteur - Alexander K. Hartmann

Alexander Hartmann studied computer science and physics at the universities of Hagen, Duisburg and Heidelberg, Germany. After receiving his PhD in 1998, he went as a postdoc first to the University of Göttingen, Germany, then to the University of California at Santa Cruz and the Ecole Normale Superieure, France. In 2002, he returned to the University of Göttingen, where he is currently heading a junior research group. His research interests comprise computer simulations, disordered magnetic systems, surface physics, combinatorial optimization and bioinformatics.

L'auteur - Heiko Rieger

Heiko Rieger received his PhD in theoretical physics in 1989 at the Universität zu Köln Germany. From 1990 to 1992, he worked as a postdoc at the University of Maryland at College Park and at the University of California at Santa Cruz. In 1994, he got his habilitation in theoretical physics and was a Heisenberg fellow from 1996 to 1999, working at the Forschungszentrum Jülich. He started teaching as a professor for theoretical physics at the Universität des Saarlandes (Saarbrücken, Germany) in 1999. His main research areas are: statistical physics and computational physics, in particular disordered and glassy systems, non-equilibrium dynamics, stochastic processes, complex systems, Monte Carlo simulations and combinatorial optimization.

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Wiley
Auteur(s)	Alexander K. Hartmann, Heiko Rieger
Parution	01/09/2001
Nb. de pages	350
Format	17,5 x 24,5
Couverture	Relié
Poids	853g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9783527403073