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David M Ceperley

David M Ceperley's profile

David M Ceperley
David M Ceperley

Professor

Professor Ceperley received his BS in physics from the University of Michigan in 1971 and his Ph.D. in physics from Cornell University in 1976. After one year at the University of Paris and a second postdoc at Rutgers University, he worked as a staff scientist at both Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. In 1987, he joined the Department of Physics at Illinois. He was a staff scientist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications from 1987 until 2012.

Professor Ceperley's work can be broadly classified into technical contributions to quantum Monte Carlo methods and contributions to our physical or formal understanding of quantum many-body systems. His most important contribution is his calculation of the energy of the electron gas, providing basic input for most numerical calculations of electronic structure. He was one of the pioneers in the development and application of path integral Monte Carlo methods for quantum systems at finite temperature, such as superfluid helium and hydrogen under extreme conditions.

Professor Ceperley is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2006.

Description of Current Research

Electronic Structure of Condensed Matter: The goals of our research are to develop computational methods for condensed matter starting from the fundamental many-body equations. The primary methods used are quantum Monte Carlo simulations, which can find exact properties of many-body systems, and density functional methods, which can be applied to diverse solids and liquids. We are combining these approaches to create new methods and to test the accuracy of calculations on materials. Current research includes studies of electron fluids, metalization of hydrogen at high pressure, simulations of solids and liquids as a function of temperature, and cold atom systems.

Prediction of Macroscopic Properties of Liquid Helium from Computer Simulation: This research is concerned with fundamental aspects of helium and quantum fluids in general; we are addressing outstanding problems in the current understanding of relevant phenomena such as Bose condensation, superfluidity, and phase transitions, as well as of theoretical issues such as the inference of bulk properties of matter from the study of finite clusters. The theoretical issues involved in helium systems are of direct relevance to understanding other many-body quantum systems such as correlated electronic systems.

For more information

  • Complete list of publications
  • Physics 466 web page

Honors and awards

  • Center for Advanced Studies Professor (2009)
  • Founder Professor of Engineering (2006)
  • National Academy of Science (2005)
  • Fellow, Institute of Physics (1999)
  • Fellow, American Academy of Arts & Sciences (1999)
  • Rahman Prize in Computational Physics of the American Physical Society (1998)
  • Feenberg Medal (1994)

Selected Publications

  • Jeffrey M. McMahon, Miguel A. Morales, Carlo Pierleoni, David M.Ceperley, David. The properties of hydrogen and helium under extreme conditions. Reviews of Modern Physics, v 84, n 4, November 13, 2012.
  • Y. Kwon and D. M. Ceperley. 4He adsorption on a single graphene sheet: Path-integral Monte Carlo study. Phys. Rev. B 85, 224501-1-6 (2012).
  • K. P. Esler, J. Kim, D. M. Ceperley, and L. Shulenburger. Accelerating quantum Monte Carlo simulations of real materials on GPU clusters. Comput. Sci. Eng. 14:1, 40-51 (2012).
  • M. Holzmann, B. Bernu, and D. M Ceperley. Finite-size analysis of the Fermi liquid properties of the homogeneous electron gas. Conference: Many-Body Correlations from Dilute to Dense Nuclear Systems, MBC 2011 (February 2011, Paris, France). J. of Phys.: Conference Series, 321, 012020-1-6, (2011).
  • M. Holzmann, B. Bernu, C. Pierleoni, J. McMinis, D. M. Ceperley, V. Olevano, and L. Delle Site. Momentum distribution of the homogeneous electron gas. Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 110402 (2011).
  • E. Liberatore, C. Pierleoni, and D. M. Ceperley. Liquid-solid transition in fully ionized hydrogen at ultra-high pressures. J. Chem. Phys. 134, 184505:1-11 (2011).
  • J. M. McMahon and D. Ceperley. Ground-state structures of atomic metallic hydrogen. Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 165302:1-4 (2011).
  • E. Liberatore, M. M. Morales, D. M. Ceperley, and C. Pierleoni, Free energy methods in coupled electron ion Monte Carlo. Mol. Phys. 109:23-24, 3029-3036 (2011).
  • L. Candido, G.-Q. Hai, and D. M. Ceperley. Effect of long cyclic exchanges on the magnetic properties of bcc 3He. Phys. Rev. B 84, 064515:1-8 (2011).
  • F. Lin, E. S. Sorensen, and D. M. Ceperley. Superfluid-insulator transition in the disordered two-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model. Phys. Rev. B 84, 094507:1-9 (2011).
  • J. M. McMahon and D. M. Ceperley. High-temperature superconductivity in atomic metallic hydrogen. Phys. Rev. B 84, 144515 (2011).
  • K. Ahuja, B. K. Clark, E. de Sturler, D. M. Ceperley, and J. Kim. Improved scaling for quantum Monte Carlo on insulators. SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 33:4 1837-1859 (2011).
  • S. Q. Zhou, D. M. Ceperley, and S. Zhang. Validity of the scattering-length approximation in strongly interacting Fermi systems. Physical Review A 84, 013625 (2011).
  • D. E. Galli, D. M. Ceperley, and L. Reatto. Path integral Monte Carlo study of He-4 clusters doped with alkali and alkali-earth ions. J. Of Phys. Chem. A 115:25, 7300-7309 Sp. Iss. (2011).
  • M. A. Morales, E. Schwegler, D. Ceperley, C. Pierleoni, S. Hamel, and K. Caspersen. Phase separation in hydrogen–helium mixtures at Mbar pressures. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.(USA) 106, 1324-1329 (2009).
  • M. Holzmann, B. Bernu, V. Olevano, R. M. Martin, and D. M. Ceperley. Renormalization factor and effective mass of the two-dimensional electron gas, Phys. Rev. B 79, 041308(R) (2009).
  • K. Delaney, C. Pierleoni, and D. M. Ceperley. Quantum Monte Carlo simulation of the high pressure molecular-atomic transition in fluid hydrogen. Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 235702-1-4(2006).
  • B. Clark and D. M. Ceperley. Off-diagonal long-range order in solid 4He. Phys. Rev. Lett. 96,105302-1-4 (2006).
  • D. M. Ceperley and B. Bernu. Ring exchanges and the supersolid phase of 4He. Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 155303-1-4 (2004).
  • D. M. Ceperley. Path integrals in the theory of condensed helium. Rev. Mod. Phys. 67, 279-356 (1995).
  • D. M. Ceperley and B. J. Alder. Ground state of the electron gas by a stochastic method. Phys. Rev. Lett. 45, 566-569 (1980).

Contact Information

Office
2107 Engineering Sciences Building

Phone
217.244.0646

Fax
217.244.7704

Email
ceperley@illinois.edu

Areas of Research

  • Condensed Matter Physics (theoretical)
  • AMO/Quantum Physics

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