MONTE-CARLO COMPUTATION OF PAIR CORRELATIONS IN EXCITED NUCLEI

We present a novel quantum Monte Carlo method based on a path integral in Fock space, which allows the computation of finite-temperature pro perties of a many-body nuclear system with a monopole pairing interact ion in the canonical ensemble. It enables an exact calculation of the thermodynamic variables such as the internal energy, the entropy, or t he specific hear, from the measured moments of the number of hops in a path of nuclear configurations. Monte Carlo calculations for a single -shell (h(11/2))(6) model are consistent with an exact calculation fro m the many-body spectrum in the seniority model.