Solid ^{4}He and the diffusion Monte Carlo method: A study of their properties.

Properties of helium atoms in the solid phase are investigated using the multiweight diffusion Monte Carlo method. Two different importance function transformations are used in two series of independent calculations. The kinetic energy is estimated for both the solid and liquid phases of ^{4}He. We estimate the melting and freezing densities, among other properties of interest. Our estimates are compared with experimental values. We discuss why walkers biased by two distinctly different guiding functions do not lead to noticeable changes in the reported results. Criticisms concerning the bias introduced into our estimates by population control and system size effects are considered.