Walter Kohn

Walter Kohn

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Walter Kohn Oxford University

Walter Kohn (March 9, 1923 – April 19, 2016) was an Austrian-born American theoretical physicist and a Nobel laureate in Chemistry. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1998 for his development of the density functional theory, which has revolutionized scientists' approach to the electronic structure of atoms, molecules, and solid materials in physics and chemistry. Kohn's work laid the foundation for understanding the electronic behavior of materials, significantly impacting the development of new technologies and materials science.

Early Life and Education

Walter Kohn was born in Vienna, Austria, but fled the country after the Anschluss to avoid persecution due to his Jewish heritage. He emigrated to Canada, where he continued his education. Kohn received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto in 1945. He then moved to the United States for his graduate studies, earning his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University in 1948 under the supervision of Julian Schwinger, a Nobel laureate in Physics.

Career

After completing his Ph.D., Kohn held various academic positions. He worked at the Carnegie Mellon University and then at the University of California, San Diego. In 1979, he joined the faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he became a founding director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics (now known as the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics).

Kohn's most significant contribution to science was the development of the density functional theory (DFT) in the 1960s, alongside Pierre Hohenberg. DFT has become a crucial tool in physics and chemistry for calculating the properties of many-body systems in the ground state. His work has enabled scientists and engineers to investigate the electronic properties of materials and molecules with much greater efficiency than was previously possible.

Awards and Honors

Walter Kohn's contributions to science have been recognized with numerous awards and honors. Besides the Nobel Prize, he received the National Medal of Science in 1988, one of the highest honors bestowed by the United States government on scientists, engineers, and inventors. He was also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a foreign member of the Royal Society.

Legacy

Walter Kohn passed away on April 19, 2016, leaving behind a legacy that continues to influence the fields of chemistry, physics, and materials science. His work on density functional theory remains a cornerstone of theoretical and computational chemistry, with applications ranging from drug discovery to the design of new materials for energy storage and conversion.

See Also

• Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Theoretical physics
• Density functional theory
• Electronic structure