Evaluation of Feynman path integrals by Monte Carlo methods

Abstract

Details of a project suitable for an advanced undergraduate course in computational physics, involving the evaluation of functional integrals, are presented. The square of the ground state wavefunction for a simple system may be formulated as a Feynman path integral, and such path integrals evaluated using Monte Carlo methods on a microcomputer. Application to a system interacting through a Morse potential or through a simple harmonic potential is described, while the possible employment of over-relaxation in the latter case is explained.