7,975 research outputs found
Fast Algorithms at Low Temperatures via Markov Chains
For spin systems, such as the hard-core model on independent sets weighted by fugacity lambda>0, efficient algorithms for the associated approximate counting/sampling problems typically apply in the high-temperature region, corresponding to low fugacity. Recent work of Jenssen, Keevash and Perkins (2019) yields an FPTAS for approximating the partition function (and an efficient sampling algorithm) on bounded-degree (bipartite) expander graphs for the hard-core model at sufficiently high fugacity, and also the ferromagnetic Potts model at sufficiently low temperatures. Their method is based on using the cluster expansion to obtain a complex zero-free region for the partition function of a polymer model, and then approximating this partition function using the polynomial interpolation method of Barvinok. We present a simple discrete-time Markov chain for abstract polymer models, and present an elementary proof of rapid mixing of this new chain under sufficient decay of the polymer weights. Applying these general polymer results to the hard-core and ferromagnetic Potts models on bounded-degree (bipartite) expander graphs yields fast algorithms with running time O(n log n) for the Potts model and O(n^2 log n) for the hard-core model, in contrast to typical running times of n^{O(log Delta)} for algorithms based on Barvinok\u27s polynomial interpolation method on graphs of maximum degree Delta. In addition, our approach via our polymer model Markov chain is conceptually simpler as it circumvents the zero-free analysis and the generalization to complex parameters. Finally, we combine our results for the hard-core and ferromagnetic Potts models with standard Markov chain comparison tools to obtain polynomial mixing time for the usual spin system Glauber dynamics restricted to even and odd or "red" dominant portions of the respective state spaces
Monte Carlo with Absorbing Markov Chains: Fast Local Algorithms for Slow Dynamics
A class of Monte Carlo algorithms which incorporate absorbing Markov chains
is presented. In a particular limit, the lowest-order of these algorithms
reduces to the -fold way algorithm. These algorithms are applied to study
the escape from the metastable state in the two-dimensional square-lattice
nearest-neighbor Ising ferromagnet in an unfavorable applied field, and the
agreement with theoretical predictions is very good. It is demonstrated that
the higher-order algorithms can be many orders of magnitude faster than either
the traditional Monte Carlo or -fold way algorithms.Comment: ReVTeX, Request 3 figures from [email protected]
Advanced Dynamic Algorithms for the Decay of Metastable Phases in Discrete Spin Models: Bridging Disparate Time Scales
An overview of advanced dynamical algorithms capable of spanning the widely
disparate time scales that govern the decay of metastable phases in discrete
spin models is presented. The algorithms discussed include constrained
transfer-matrix, Monte Carlo with Absorbing Markov Chains (MCAMC), and
projective dynamics (PD) methods. The strengths and weaknesses of each of these
algorithms are discussed, with particular emphasis on identifying the parameter
regimes (system size, temperature, and field) in which each algorithm works
best.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of the US-Japan bilateral seminar on
`Understanding and Conquering Long Time Scales in Computer Simulations', July
1999, to appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys.
Sequential Monte Carlo Methods for Protein Folding
We describe a class of growth algorithms for finding low energy states of
heteropolymers. These polymers form toy models for proteins, and the hope is
that similar methods will ultimately be useful for finding native states of
real proteins from heuristic or a priori determined force fields. These
algorithms share with standard Markov chain Monte Carlo methods that they
generate Gibbs-Boltzmann distributions, but they are not based on the strategy
that this distribution is obtained as stationary state of a suitably
constructed Markov chain. Rather, they are based on growing the polymer by
successively adding individual particles, guiding the growth towards
configurations with lower energies, and using "population control" to eliminate
bad configurations and increase the number of "good ones". This is not done via
a breadth-first implementation as in genetic algorithms, but depth-first via
recursive backtracking. As seen from various benchmark tests, the resulting
algorithms are extremely efficient for lattice models, and are still
competitive with other methods for simple off-lattice models.Comment: 10 pages; published in NIC Symposium 2004, eds. D. Wolf et al. (NIC,
Juelich, 2004
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