Self-consistent tensor product variational approximation for 3D classical models

We propose a numerical variational method for three-dimensional (3D) classical lattice models. We construct the variational state as a product of local tensors, and improve it by use of the corner transfer matrix renormalization group (CTMRG), which is a variant of the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) applied to 2D classical systems. Numerical efficiency of this approximation is investigated through trial applications to the 3D Ising model and the 3D 3-state Potts model. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.