We develop a method of constructing percolation clusters that allows us to
build very large clusters using very little computer memory by limiting the
maximum number of sites for which we maintain state information to a number of
the order of the number of sites in the largest chemical shell of the cluster
being created. The memory required to grow a cluster of mass s is of the order
of sθ bytes where θ ranges from 0.4 for 2-dimensional lattices
to 0.5 for 6- (or higher)-dimensional lattices. We use this method to estimate
dmin, the exponent relating the minimum path ℓ to the
Euclidean distance r, for 4D and 5D hypercubic lattices. Analyzing both site
and bond percolation, we find dmin=1.607±0.005 (4D) and
dmin=1.812±0.006 (5D). In order to determine
dmin to high precision, and without bias, it was necessary to
first find precise values for the percolation threshold, pc:
pc=0.196889±0.000003 (4D) and pc=0.14081±0.00001 (5D) for site and
pc=0.160130±0.000003 (4D) and pc=0.118174±0.000004 (5D) for bond
percolation. We also calculate the Fisher exponent, τ, determined in the
course of calculating the values of pc: τ=2.313±0.003 (4D) and
τ=2.412±0.004 (5D)