Axel Becke

Axel Dieter Becke (born June 10, 1953 in Eßlingen am Neckar ) is a German chemist and professor of chemistry at Dalhousie University in Halifax .

Life

After studying engineering at Queen's University , Kingston (Ontario) , from which he graduated in 1975, he received his doctorate in theoretical physics from McMaster University in Hamilton (Ontario) in 1981 . From 1981 to 1983 he was a research assistant at Dalhousie University, where he now teaches as a professor.

On the basis of the molecular orbital theory, Becke developed the world's first scanning method that is not based on the MO method . He is also active in the field of density functional theory (DFT) and researches the structure of atoms and molecules . Together with JP Perdew, Becke succeeded in demonstrating that DFT can serve as an effective tool in the field of quantum chemistry . He developed a special computer program with which a high degree of precision can be achieved in calculating the structure of molecules.

Awards

In 2000 Becke was awarded the Schrödinger Medal of the World Association of Theoretically Oriented Chemists (WATOC). In 2014 he received the American Chemical Society Award in Theoretical Chemistry and the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering .

Publications (selection)

• Density functionals and transition-metal atoms . In: The Journal of chemical physics . Vol. 127 (2007), ISSN  0021-9606
• A unified density-functional treatment of dynamical, non-dynamic, and dispersion correlations . In: The Journal of chemical physics . Vol. 127 (2007), ISSN  0021-9606 .
• A unified density-functional treatment of dynamical, non-dynamic, and dispersion correlations. II. Thermochemical and kinetic benchmarks . Vol. 128 (2008), ISSN  0021-9606 .

Web links

• Profile of Axel D. Becke . International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
• Interview with Axel Becke . Retrieved November 23, 2012.
• Becke's homepage at Dalhousie University