Journal of Statistical Physics, Vol. 106, Nos. 1/2, January 2002, p. 245-285.
We present a formalism of the transition matrix Monte Carlo method. A stochastic matrix in the space of energy can be estimated from Monte Carlo simulation. This matrix is used to compute the density of states, as well as to construct multi-canonical and equal-hit algorithms. We discuss the performance of the methods. The results are compared with single histogram method, multi-canonical method, and other methods. In many aspects, the present method is an improvement over the previous methods.