COMPUTER MEETS THEORETICAL PHYSICS

This book provides a vivid account of the early history of molecular simulation a new frontier for our understanding of matter that was opened when the demands of theoretical physicists were met by the availability of the modern computers Since their inception electronic computers have enormously increased their performance thus making possible the unprecedented technological revolution that characterizes our present times This obvious technological advancement has brought with it a silent scientific revolution in the practice of theoretical physics In particular in the physics of matter it has opened up a direct route from the microscopic physical laws to observable phenomena One can now study the time evolution of systems composed of millions of molecules and simulate the behaviour of macroscopic materials and actually predict their properties Molecular simulation has provided a new theoretical and conceptual tool that physicists could only dream of when the foundations of statistical mechanics were laid Molecular simulation has undergone impressive development both in the size of the scientific community involved and in the range and scope of its applications It has become the ubiquitous workhorse for investigating the nature of complex condensed matter