<s>
Path	B-Algorithm
integral	I-Algorithm
Monte	I-Algorithm
Carlo	I-Algorithm
(	O
PIMC	B-Algorithm
)	O
is	O
a	O
quantum	O
Monte	B-Algorithm
Carlo	I-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
used	O
to	O
solve	O
quantum	O
statistical	O
mechanics	O
problems	O
numerically	O
within	O
the	O
path	O
integral	O
formulation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
application	O
of	O
Monte	B-Algorithm
Carlo	I-Algorithm
methods	I-Algorithm
to	O
path	O
integral	O
simulations	O
of	O
condensed	O
matter	O
systems	O
was	O
first	O
pursued	O
in	O
a	O
key	O
paper	O
by	O
John	O
A	O
.	O
Barker	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
all	O
Monte	B-Algorithm
Carlo	I-Algorithm
method	I-Algorithm
based	O
approaches	O
,	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
points	O
must	O
be	O
calculated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
statistical	O
sampling	O
method	O
,	O
PIMC	B-Algorithm
can	O
take	O
anharmonicity	O
fully	O
into	O
account	O
,	O
and	O
because	O
it	O
is	O
quantum	O
,	O
it	O
takes	O
into	O
account	O
important	O
quantum	O
effects	O
such	O
as	O
tunneling	O
and	O
zero-point	O
energy	O
(	O
while	O
neglecting	O
the	O
exchange	B-General_Concept
interaction	I-General_Concept
in	O
some	O
cases	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
