  The merger of density-functional theory in the local density approximation
(LDA) and many-body dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) allows for an ab initio
calculation of Ce including the inherent 4f electronic correlations. We solve
the DMFT equations by the quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) technique and calculate the
Ce energy, spectrum, and double occupancy as a function of volume. At low
temperatures, the correlation energy exhibits an anomalous region of negative
curvature which drives the system towards a thermodynamic instability, i.e.,
the $\gamma$-to-$\alpha$ volume collapse, consistent with experiment. The
connection of the energetic with the spectral evolution shows that the physical
origin of the energy anomaly and, thus, the volume collapse is the appearance
of a quasiparticle resonance in the 4f-spectrum which is accompanied by a rapid
growth in the double occupancy.
