Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • John Hasbrouck Van Vleck: An American physicist who made fundamental contributions to the understanding of magnetism and the electronic structure of molecules and solids. He was a co-recipient of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Usage Notes

• "John Van Vleck" is used as a proper noun to refer specifically to the individual physicist. It is typically used in academic, historical, and scientific contexts when discussing the history of physics, quantum mechanics, or magnetism.

Examples of Usage

• Proper noun:
  • John Van Vleck's work on crystal field theory was groundbreaking.
  • The Nobel Prize was awarded to John Van Vleck for his contributions to the understanding of disordered magnetic systems.

Advanced Usage

• "Van Vleck paramagnetism": A specific type of paramagnetism in certain salts, named after his theoretical work.

  • The magnetic susceptibility of the compound is explained by Van Vleck paramagnetism.

• "Van Vleck determinant": A concept in quantum mechanics related to the semiclassical description of molecular vibrations.

  • The calculation requires evaluating the Van Vleck determinant.

Variants and Related Words

• Van Vleck, J. H. Van Vleck: Common abbreviated or alternative references in academic citations.
  • The paper by Van Vleck (1932) established the modern theory of magnetism.

Synonyms

• There are no direct synonyms for a person's name. In context, one might refer to him as:
  • The physicist Van Vleck
  • Nobel laureate Van Vleck

Related Phrases

• Van Vleck's theorem: A principle in the theory of magnetic susceptibilities.

  • The behavior is consistent with Van Vleck's theorem.

• Van Vleck transformation: A technique used in quantum mechanics to simplify Hamiltonians.

  • Applying the Van Vleck transformation decouples the interacting states.

Noun

1. United States physicist (1899-1980)