Walter Kohn (born March 9,1923 in Vienna, Austria) is an Austrian-born American physicist who was awarded, with John A. Pople, the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1998. The award recognized their contributions to the understandings of the electronic properties of materials. In particular, Kohn played a leading role in the development of the density functional theory, which made it possible to incorporate quantum mechanical effects in the electronic density (rather than through its many-body wavefunction). This computational simplification led to many insights and became an essential tool for electronic materials, atomic and molecular structure.

In 1957, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He is currently a Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

He is a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science.

External links

• Freeview video interview with Walter Kohn by the Vega Science Trust
• Official homepage of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1998

1923 births | Living people | Naturalized citizens of the United States | Nobel Prize in Chemistry winners | American physicists | Austrian physicists | Jewish scientists | National Medal of Science recipients

Walter Kohn | Walter Kohn | Walter Kohn | Walter Kohn | Walter Kohn | Walter Kohn | 沃特·科恩