Abstract
The topic in the title has produced debate about whether spin-dependent correlations should be used in trial wave functions for Hamiltonians that are independent of spin. We investigate this question by calculating the ground-state properties of a small system of (Formula presented) atoms using the variational Monte Carlo method and trial wave functions, first, with explicit backflow correlations and second, with spin-dependent correlations. We review how backflow and spin-dependent correlations can be made approximately equivalent, and then give Monte Carlo results which demonstrate that spin-dependent correlations can substantially reproduce the effect of backflow correlations.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5647-5650 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1997 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics