Biography:Walter Kohn

Walter Kohn
Walter Kohn
Born	9 March 1923 Vienna, Austria
Died	19 April 2016 Santa Barbara, California, United States
Known for	Density functional theory; Kohn-Sham equations; electronic structure theory
Awards	Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1998)

Walter Kohn (9 March 1923 - 19 April 2016) was an Austrian-American theoretical physicist whose work made density functional theory a practical foundation for quantum chemistry and materials calculations.

Quantum context

Kohn's work with Lu Jeu Sham reformulated the many-electron quantum problem in terms of an electron density and an auxiliary system of single-particle equations. The resulting Kohn-Sham method became one of the most widely used tools for electronic structure.

In the Quantum Collection he is linked from computational quantum chemistry because density functional theory is a bridge between quantum many-body theory, chemistry, and materials science.

Linked Quantum Collection pages

• Physics:Quantum computational chemistry
• Physics:Quantum chemistry
• Physics:Quantum molecular orbital
• Physics:Quantum materials solid state

References

• "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1998". Nobel Prize Outreach. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1998/summary/. 
• Kohn, W.; Sham, L. J. (1965). "Self-Consistent Equations Including Exchange and Correlation Effects". Physical Review 140 (4A): A1133-A1138. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.140.A1133. 

Author: Harold Foppele

Source attribution: Biography:Walter Kohn