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The Hartree‐Fock method: from self‐consistency to correct symmetry
Author(s) -
Martinez JeanPhilippe
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
annalen der physik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1521-3889
pISSN - 0003-3804
DOI - 10.1002/andp.201600328
Subject(s) - bohr model , hartree–fock method , theoretical physics , quantum mechanics , symmetry (geometry) , physics , consistency (knowledge bases) , work (physics) , classical mechanics , mathematics , geometry
The Hartree‐Fock method, one of the first applications of the new quantum mechanics in the frame of the many‐body problem, is a good example of the attempts of many physicists to adapt their work on the old Bohr theory to new discoveries. It also shows the necessity to enlarge the theoretical foundations given by Schrödinger and Heisenberg. The present work illustrates the challenges of the many‐body problem in the new quantum mechanics by evaluating the contributions of both Hartree, who developed a self‐consistent process to calculate the energy of an atom, and Fock, who set out the correct theoretical foundations of the method.