Communication: An efficient and accurate perturbative correction to initiator full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo

J Chem Phys. 2018 Jun 14;148(22):221101. doi: 10.1063/1.5037923.

Abstract

We present a perturbative correction within initiator full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo (i-FCIQMC). In the existing i-FCIQMC algorithm, a significant number of spawned walkers are discarded due to the initiator criteria. Here we show that these discarded walkers have a form that allows the calculation of a second-order Epstein-Nesbet correction, which may be accumulated in a trivial and inexpensive manner, yet substantially improves i-FCIQMC results. The correction is applied to the Hubbard model and the uniform electron gas and molecular systems.