We apply the event-chain Monte Carlo algorithm to classical continuum spin models on a lattice and clarify the condition for its validity. In the two-dimensional XY model, it outperforms the local Monte Carlo algorithm by two orders of magnitude, alt
hough it remains slower than the Wolff cluster algorithm. In the three-dimensional XY spin glass at low temperature, the event-chain algorithm is far superior to the other algorithms.
We generalize the rejection-free event-chain Monte Carlo algorithm from many particle systems with pairwise interactions to systems with arbitrary three- or many-particle interactions. We introduce generalized lifting probabilities between particles
and obtain a general set of equations for lifting probabilities, the solution of which guarantees maximal global balance. We validate the resulting three-particle event-chain Monte Carlo algorithms on three different systems by comparison with conventional local Monte Carlo simulations: (i) a test system of three particles with a three-particle interaction that depends on the enclosed triangle area; (ii) a hard-needle system in two dimensions, where needle interactions constitute three-particle interactions of the needle end points; (iii) a semiflexible polymer chain with a bending energy, which constitutes a three-particle interaction of neighboring chain beads. The examples demonstrate that the generalization to many-particle interactions broadens the applicability of event-chain algorithms considerably.
In this article, we present an event-driven algorithm that generalizes the recent hard-sphere event-chain Monte Carlo method without introducing discretizations in time or in space. A factorization of the Metropolis filter and the concept of infinite
simal Monte Carlo moves are used to design a rejection-free Markov-chain Monte Carlo algorithm for particle systems with arbitrary pairwise interactions. The algorithm breaks detailed balance, but satisfies maximal global balance and performs better than the classic, local Metropolis algorithm in large systems. The new algorithm generates a continuum of samples of the stationary probability density. This allows us to compute the pressure and stress tensor as a byproduct of the simulation without any additional computations.
We present a multithreaded event-chain Monte Carlo algorithm (ECMC) for hard spheres. Threads synchronize at infrequent breakpoints and otherwise scan for local horizon violations. Using a mapping onto absorbing Markov chains, we rigorously prove the
correctness of a sequential-consistency implementation for small test suites. On x86 and ARM processors, a C++ (OpenMP) implementation that uses compare-and-swap primitives for data access achieves considerable speed-up with respect to single-threaded code. The generalized birthday problem suggests that for the number of threads scaling as the square root of the number of spheres, the horizon-violation probability remains small for a fixed simulation time. We provide C++ and Python open-source code that reproduces all our results.
This review treats the mathematical and algorithmic foundations of non-reversible Markov chains in the context of event-chain Monte Carlo (ECMC), a continuous-time lifted Markov chain that employs the factorized Metropolis algorithm. It analyzes a nu
mber of model applications, and then reviews the formulation as well as the performance of ECMC in key models in statistical physics. Finally, the review reports on an ongoing initiative to apply the method to the sampling problem in molecular simulation, that is, to real-world models of peptides, proteins, and polymers in aqueous solution.