The Hartree-Fock method: from self-consistency to correct symmetry

Jean-Philippe Martinez (1, 2)

1 SPHERE (UMR_7219) - Sciences, Philosophie, Histoire
2 UNIGE - Université de Genève = University of Geneva

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.

Mots clés: Hartree; Fock; Slater; Hartree-Fock method; approximation; physics

Domaines: Histoire, Philosophie et Sociologie des sciences; Histoire de la Physique [physics.hist-ph]

Jean-Philippe Martinez. The Hartree-Fock method: from self-consistency to correct symmetry. Annalen der Physik, 2017, 529 (1-2), pp.1600328. ⟨10.1002/andp.201600328⟩. ⟨halshs-01514120⟩