added introduction to the documentation

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@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ Wolff Library
 .. toctree ::
    :maxdepth: 2
    
+   introduction
    examples
    models
    system
diff --git a/doc/introduction.rst b/doc/introduction.rst
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+
+************
+Introduction
+************
+
+A library for running the Wolff algorithm on arbitrary systems in arbitrary
+fields. A "spin state" and "spin symmetry transformation" type must be supplied
+to define a system, along with a spin-spin coupling, a spin-field coupling,
+and a generator of transformations of rank two. The library then supplies the
+tools to run Wolff cluster-flip Monte Carlo on the resulting system, with
+arbitrary measurements taken along the way.
+
+A detailed description of the algorithm and its requirements can be found at https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.04019.
+
+Getting Wolff
+=============
+
+This source for this library is available at https://git.kent-dobias.com/wolff/.
+
+Installation
+============
+
+The only dependencies are a modern C++ compiler, cmake, and the standard libraries. With those at hand, the Wolff library and the provided examples can be built and installed using
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   git clone https://git.kent-dobias.com/wolff/
+   mkdir wolff/build
+   cd wolff/build
+   cmake ..
+   make install
+
+Custom install paths and compiler optimizations can be passed to cmake in the standard ways.
+
+License 
+=======
+
+Wolff is licensed under the MIT license, a copy of which is included with the source code. The terms can be found here: https://spdx.org/licenses/MIT.html.
+