We apply the DMRG method to the Pariser-Parr-Pople hamiltonian and
investigate the onset of dimerization. We deduce the parameters of the hopping
term and the contribution of the sigma bonds from ab initio calculations on
ethylene. Denoting by R_{ij} the C-C distances, we perform a variational
optimization of the dimerization delta= (R_{i,i+1} - R_{i-1,i})/2 and of the
average bond length R_0 for chains up to N=50 sites. The critical value of N at
which the transition occurs is found to be between N=14 and N=18 for the
present model. The asymptotic values for large N for R_0 and delta are given by
1.408(3) angstroms and 0.036(0) angstroms.Comment: 7 pages, Latex (RevTex) with 7 eps figures, to be published in the
Journal of Chemical Physic