Berni Julian Alder, Theoretical Physicist and Inventor of Molecular Dynamics, 1925–2020 Downloaded by Guest on September 24, 2021 9 E
RETROSPECTIVE BerniJulianAlder,theoreticalphysicistandinventor of molecular dynamics, 1925–2020 RETROSPECTIVE David M. Ceperleya and Stephen B. Libbyb,1 Berni Julian Alder, one of the leading figures in the invention of molecular dynamics simulations used for a wide array of problems in physics and chemistry, died on September 7, 2020. His career, spanning more than 65 years, transformed statistical mechanics, many body physics, the study of chemistry, and the microscopic dynamics of fluids, by making atomistic computational simulation (in parallel with traditional theory and exper- iment) a new pathway to unexpected discoveries. Among his many honors, the CECAM prize, recognizing exceptional contributions to the simulation of the mi- croscopic properties of matter, is named for him. He was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Berni Julian Alder in 2015. Image credit: Lawrence Obama in 2008. Livermore National Laboratory. Alder was born to Ludwig Adler and Otillie n ´ee Gottschalk in Duisburg, Germany on September 9, sampling algorithm that was to revolutionize statistical 1925. Alder’s father Ludwig was a chemist who worked physics (1). Teller recruited Alder to the just-founded in the German aluminum industry. When the Nazis Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (later, the Lawrence Liv- came to power in 1933, Alder, his parents, elder ermore National Laboratory), where he, along with brother Henry, and twin brother Charles fled to Zurich, other young talented scientists, built a unique “can Switzerland. In 1941, they further emigrated to the do” scientific culture that thrives to this day. United States (becoming “Alders” in the process), Beginning in the mid-1950s, Alder, who possessed where they settled in Berkeley, California.
[Show full text]