Douglas Hartree
Early Life and Education
Douglas Rayner Hartree was born on March 27, 1897, in Cambridge, England. His father, William Hartree, was a civil engineer and his mother, Eva Rayner, was a school teacher. Hartree showed an early interest in mathematics and physics, which was encouraged by his parents. He attended the Perse School in Cambridge, where he excelled in his studies.
Hartree went on to study natural sciences at St John's College, Cambridge University, specializing in physics. He graduated with first class honours in 1917. During World War I, Hartree worked on anti-aircraft ballistics, which sparked his interest in computational methods.
Career and Contributions
After the war, Hartree returned to Cambridge to complete his doctorate under the supervision of renowned physicist Rutherford. His thesis focused on the use of differential equations in physics, a topic that would become central to his later work.
In 1929, Hartree developed what is now known as the Hartree-Fock method, a method used to approximate the wavefunctions of multi-electron systems in quantum mechanics. This method has been instrumental in the field of computational chemistry.
In the 1930s, Hartree collaborated with Fock, refining his method to include the effects of electron correlation. This led to the development of the Hartree-Fock method, which is still widely used in computational chemistry and physics.
Hartree also made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis. He was one of the first to recognize the potential of analog computers for solving complex mathematical problems. He built several mechanical differential analyzers, which were used for a variety of scientific and engineering applications.
In 1945, Hartree became the Plummer Professor of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge. During his tenure, he continued to work on computational methods and their applications in physics and chemistry.
Legacy
Hartree's work has had a profound impact on the fields of physics, chemistry, and computer science. His methods are still widely used in computational chemistry and physics, and his pioneering work on analog computers laid the groundwork for the development of digital computers.
Hartree was awarded the Royal Society's Royal Medal in 1956 for his contributions to the development of computational methods in physics. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1932.
Hartree died on February 12, 1958, in Cambridge. His contributions to science continue to be recognized and celebrated. The unit of energy in atomic units, the Hartree, is named in his honor.