2004/09/11 by Ulrich Schollwoeck · 1 voice · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.stat-mech #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/revmodphys.77.259
published as Rev. Mod. Phys. 77, 259 (2005) · accepted by Rev. Mod. Phys. in July 2004; scheduled to appear in the January 2005 issue
The density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) is a numerical algorithm for the efficient truncation of the Hilbert space of low-dimensional strongly correlated quantum systems based on a rather general decimation prescription. This algorithm has achieved unprecedented precision in the description of one-dimensional quantum systems. It has therefore quickly acquired the status of method of choice for numerical studies of one-dimensional quantum systems. Its applications to the calculation of static, dynamic and thermodynamic quantities in such systems are reviewed. The potential of DMRG applications in the fields of two-dimensional quantum systems, quantum chemistry, three-dimensional small grains, nuclear physics, equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics, and time-dependent phenomena is discussed. This review also considers the theoretical foundations of the method, examining its relationship to matrix-product states and the quantum information content of the density matrices generated by DMRG.