Robert H. Swendsen co-developed the Swendsen-Wang algorithm with Jian-Sheng Wang. Their 1987 paper introduced collective updates for spin-system Monte Carlo simulations, reducing the difficulty of sampling large correlated regions near a phase transition.[ref]
Nonuniversal critical dynamics in Monte Carlo simulations by Robert H. Swendsen and Jian-Sheng Wang. abstract and cluster-update construction
The key distinction is between physical dynamics and a sampling algorithm's dynamics. Replacing many single-spin changes by a collective update can preserve the intended equilibrium probability distribution while changing how quickly samples decorrelate. An improvement in simulation speed is therefore not a claim that a real magnet changes by that same update rule. Swendsen's Carnegie Mellon profile identifies his field as computational physics.[ref]
Portrait of Robert H. Swendsen
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