The second international summer school in the series "Quantum Monte Carlo and the CASINO program" will take place in July/August 2007 at the Towler Institute monastery in the Tuscan Apuan Alps, organized and hosted by members of Cambridge University physics department's Theory of Condensed Matter (TCM) Group. The aim of the school is to give students a thorough introduction to quantum Monte Carlo as a method for performing highly accurate calculations of the electronic structure of real materials. The course is designed for young scientists who have no previous experience with this technique, though anyone interested is welcome to take part.

Many-body quantum theory provides the key ideas for understanding the behaviour of materials at the level of the electrons which bind the atoms together. Describing the complex behaviour of materials at the atomic level requires a sophisticated description of the correlated motion of the electrons, which can be achieved using ab initio computational methods. Quantum Monte Carlo in particular has many attractive features in this regard. It is an explicitly many-body method which takes electron correlation into account from the outset, and is capable of giving highly accurate results while at the same time exhibiting a very favourable scaling of computational cost with system size. Over the last sixteen years, the Cambridge group have been researching QMC methods and we have created a powerful, general computer program - CASINO - to carry out the calculations. The school will focus both on the basic theory of QMC and on more advanced practical techniques, and will include a thorough introduction to the CASINO program. A background in density functional theory or similar is normally thought to be useful.

The monastery is a delightful 16th century building incorporating an ancient church, and is situated in the isolated but spectacular setting of the Tuscan mountain village of Vallico Sotto. It is fully equipped with state of the art presentation and computer technology. All accommodation is on-site. There is a strictly-enforced policy for all events at the Institute that considerable time should be set aside for mountain hikes, caving, canyon walking, swimming in thermal baths, eating in wonderful local restaurants, visits to classical concerts in Lucca and Barga, and similar activities. It is to be hoped that the visitor will not mind this too much.

Instructors will include the main authors of the CASINO program, (Dr. Mike Towler, Dr. Neil Drummond, and Dr. Pablo Lopez Rios).

Participants would need to arrange a flight to Pisa airport from where onward transportation will be arranged.

Interested students should contact Mike Towler (mdt26 at cam.ac.uk) for registration and further details.