Local-states method for the calculation of free energies in Monte Carlo simulations of lattice models

We present and demonstrate an accurate, reliable, and computationally cheap method for the calculation of free energies in Monte Carlo simulations of lattice models. Even in the critical region it yields good results with comparatively short simulation runs. The method combines upper and lower bounds on the thermodynamic limit entropy density to yield not only an accurate estimate of the free energy but a bound on the possible error as well. The method is demonstrated on the two- and three-dimensional Ising models and the three-dimensional, three-states Potts model.