Reptation Monte Carlo is a quantum Monte Carlo method. It is similar to Diffusion Monte Carlo, except that it works with paths rather than points. This has some advantages relating to calculating certain properties of the system under study that diffusion Monte Carlo has difficulty with. When substituting in place of , the Schrodinger equation becomes identical with a diffusion equation. Diffusion equations can be solved by imagining a huge population of particles (sometimes called "walkers"), each diffusing in a way that solves the original equation. This is how diffusion Monte Carlo works.