David C Clary 
WALTER KOHN [EPUB ebook] 
From Kindertransport and Internment to DFT and the Nobel Prize

Walter Kohn, 1998 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and discoverer of the Density Functional Theory (DFT), died in 2016 at the grand age of 93. This book is the first ever biography of Kohn, who led a remarkable life and scientific career, not least the fact that his DFT theory has emerged as the underlying computational method for molecular simulation used throughout the physical and life sciences. Taking us on a compelling journey, Sir David Clary traces Kohn’s early life in Vienna and his dramatic escape from the Nazis on the Kindertransport to England in 1939, followed by Kohn’s internment as an ‘enemy alien’ and his transportation to Canada in 1940. His subsequent scientific career is discussed in detail, including his remarkable sabbatical in France when he discovered DFT, and his enduring efforts on peace initiatives and reduction of nuclear proliferation. An extraordinary story of a theoretical physicist winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Walter Kohn is a sparkling chronicle of one of the great scientists of the 20th century who forever changed the way contemporary science is done.

Contents:

• Vienna


• Kindertransport


• Internment


• Toronto


• Family and Schoolfriends


• Harvard


• Pittsburgh


• San Diego


• DFT


• Pople


• Santa Barbara


• Nobel


• Politics


• Legacy

Readership: Science students, academics and researchers, especially those in physics, chemistry, materials science and biology. The general public interested in science, history of science, and the lives of great scientists and Nobel Laureates. Historians of science. A must-have for libraries and archives.

‘Walter Kohn is one of the giants of 20th-century science, but unless you are a theoretical physicist or computational chemist you may not have even heard of him. That is why this beautifully detailed, readable and timely account of his remarkable life and work is so important, for his scientific legacy is as important today as it has ever been.’ – Prof Jim Al-Khalili FRSTheoretical Physicist, Author and Broadcaster of BBC Radio’s The Life Scientific

‘Walter Kohn is one of those Nobel Laureates whose name is likely to draw blank stares from scientists who never had cause to come across his work, but knowing and deeply respectful nods from those who did. His development of a theoretical method for calculating the properties of systems of many interacting particles has had repercussions throughout the physical sciences, but has scarcely received the wider appreciation it merits. This splendid biography by David Clary ought to change that. A story of resilience and genius, it shows the making of one of the most quietly influential of 20th-century scientists and offers an insightful portrait of a pivotal but often neglected period in American physics.’ – Dr Philip Ball Popular Science Award Winner and Writer including Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew About Quantum Physics is Different

‘Walter Kohn’s creation of density functional theory revolutionized the use of electronic structure calculations in chemical physics and materials physics. A book summarizing his life and how he developed as a scientist is of great interest to both chemists and physicists.’ – Prof Donald G Truhlar Regents Professor of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, USA

Key Features:

• First ever biography of Walter Kohn


• Description of his remarkable early life — escaping from the Nazis, the Kindertransport to England, and internment in Canada during World War II


• Compelling account of how Kohn came to discover his revolutionary theory


• Straighforward explanation of Kohn’s DFT and its extraordinary impact on modern science