Walter Heitler 1904

Walter Heitler 1904 – 1981

Walter Heitler

The first person to discover how atoms bond together to form molecules

Walter Heinrich Heitler was born in Karlsruhe in Germany on 2 nd January 1904. He spent the formative stages of his career studying physics at a time when the subject was in a state of flux due to the development of quantum mechanics. In those early years he studied and worked in places such as Munich, Berlin, Zurich and Gottingen, where many of the leading theoretical physicists of the day were to be found.

Heitler's research demonstrated the power of the new mechanics by applying and developing it with great success to a number of diverse areas, including the theory of the chemical bond, radiation theory, cosmic rays and quantum field theory. Heitler’s connection with Ireland is due to his time at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Study between 1941 and 1949 when he was a leading figure in the international physics community. After Dublin he returned to Zurich as professor of theoretical physics and in his later years his focus turned to philosophical issues relating to science and religion. He remained in Zurich until his death in 1981.

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