= Robert H. Swendsen
{c}
<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>.<Nonuniversal critical dynamics in Monte Carlo simulations by Robert H. Swendsen and Jian-Sheng Wang>[abstract and cluster-update construction]{ref}
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>.https://www.cmu.edu/physics/people/faculty/swendsen.html[Research field and publication record]{ref}
\Image[https://www.cmu.edu/physics/people/faculty/images/large/Swendsen3-min.jpg]
{title=Portrait of <Robert H. Swendsen>}
{source=https://www.cmu.edu/physics/people/faculty/swendsen.html}
{width=240}
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