Diffusion Monte Carlo Study of Ground State Properties of Quantum Dots

We present the results of Diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) calculations based on accurate multiconfiguration wave functions for N electrons (N≤13) confined to a parabolic quantum dot. The density and correlation energies have been computed and compared with the predictions of local spin density approximation theory (LSDA). We also computed the addition energy a function of the number of electrons in the dot, and compared them with the results of LSDA and Hartree Fock calculations. DMC results show a behavior qualitatively closer to the result of recent capacitance experiments.