Featured Column — COMPUTATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR PHYSICS

    To promote the sharing and cooperation of computer programs developed for physics, which helps to reduce the barrier and lighten the burden of program development for physicists, Chinese Physics B launches a new section, “Computational Programs for Physics” in 2023. 

    Both research papers and review articles are welcome. Good computational programs are the focus of this section, whereas new physics and results are not necessary for acceptance. A good program should contain at least one of these factors: accuracy, efficiency, new functionality, accessibility, expansibility, etc.

    Default Latest Most Read
    Please wait a minute...
    For selected: Toggle thumbnails
    MatChat: A large language model and application service platform for materials science
    Zi-Yi Chen(陈子逸), Fan-Kai Xie(谢帆恺), Meng Wan(万萌), Yang Yuan(袁扬), Miao Liu(刘淼), Zong-Guo Wang(王宗国), Sheng Meng(孟胜), and Yan-Gang Wang(王彦棡)
    Chin. Phys. B, 2023, 32 (11): 118104.   DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/ad04cb
    Abstract165)   HTML6)    PDF (587KB)(197)      
    The prediction of chemical synthesis pathways plays a pivotal role in materials science research. Challenges, such as the complexity of synthesis pathways and the lack of comprehensive datasets, currently hinder our ability to predict these chemical processes accurately. However, recent advancements in generative artificial intelligence (GAI), including automated text generation and question-answering systems, coupled with fine-tuning techniques, have facilitated the deployment of large-scale AI models tailored to specific domains. In this study, we harness the power of the LLaMA2-7B model and enhance it through a learning process that incorporates 13878 pieces of structured material knowledge data. This specialized AI model, named MatChat, focuses on predicting inorganic material synthesis pathways. MatChat exhibits remarkable proficiency in generating and reasoning with knowledge in materials science. Although MatChat requires further refinement to meet the diverse material design needs, this research undeniably highlights its impressive reasoning capabilities and innovative potential in materials science. MatChat is now accessible online and open for use, with both the model and its application framework available as open source. This study establishes a robust foundation for collaborative innovation in the integration of generative AI in materials science.
    Analysis of pseudo-random number generators in QMC-SSE method
    Dong-Xu Liu(刘东旭), Wei Xu(徐维), and Xue-Feng Zhang(张学锋)
    Chin. Phys. B, 2024, 33 (3): 037509.   DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/ad1e69
    Abstract49)   HTML1)    PDF (514KB)(71)      
    In the quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method, the pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) plays a crucial role in determining the computation time. However, the hidden structure of the PRNG may lead to serious issues such as the breakdown of the Markov process. Here, we systematically analyze the performance of different PRNGs on the widely used QMC method known as the stochastic series expansion (SSE) algorithm. To quantitatively compare them, we introduce a quantity called QMC efficiency that can effectively reflect the efficiency of the algorithms. After testing several representative observables of the Heisenberg model in one and two dimensions, we recommend the linear congruential generator as the best choice of PRNG. Our work not only helps improve the performance of the SSE method but also sheds light on the other Markov-chain-based numerical algorithms.