Feynman-Kac path-integral calculation of the ground-state energies of atoms

Since its introduction in 1950, the Feynman-Kac path-integral approach has received limited use in spite of its simplicity in solving the quantum many-body problem. This paper provides a procedure to include permutation symmetries for identical particles in the Feynman-Kac method. It demonstrates that this formulation is ideally suited for massively parallel computers. This new method is used for the first time to calculate energies of the ground state of H, He, Li, Be, and B, and also the first excited state of He.