Fritz London

Fritz London (1900–1954) was a German-American theoretical physicist whose work helped explain chemical bonding through quantum mechanics and identified the dispersion forces now bearing his name.

Quantum mechanics: The physical theory describing matter and energy at atomic and subatomic scales. Its principles supplied the framework for London’s quantum account of chemical bonds.
Covalent bond: A chemical bond formed when atoms share one or more pairs of electrons. London’s 1927 quantum treatment explained the shared-electron bond in the hydrogen molecule.
Göttingen University: A German research university that became a major center of mathematics and theoretical physics. London studied and worked in Göttingen during the formative years of quantum mechanics.
Edmund Clifton Stoner: A British physicist known for contributions to magnetism and the electronic structure of matter. Stoner and London independently developed early quantum accounts of chemical bonding.
Quantum chemistry: The application of quantum mechanics to the structure, properties, and reactions of molecules. London’s hydrogen-molecule calculation helped establish quantum chemistry as a field.
Wavefunction: A mathematical description of a quantum system that encodes probabilities for measurement outcomes. London used quantum states to describe how electrons behave in molecules.
Heitler–London theory: A quantum-mechanical description of the hydrogen molecule developed by Walter Heitler and Fritz London in 1927. It is the landmark calculation that made covalent bonding intelligible through quantum mechanics.
Max Born: A German physicist who helped develop quantum mechanics and taught at Göttingen. Born supervised London’s doctoral work and shaped his early theoretical training.
Robert S. Mulliken: An American chemist who developed molecular orbital theory and received the 1966 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Mulliken’s approach became a major framework for molecular structure alongside London’s contributions.
Molecular physics: The study of the physical properties and behavior of molecules. His theories linked molecular structure to quantum behavior and intermolecular attraction.

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