Professor Siedentop will investigate the mathematical physics of Coulomb systems. The proposed work concerns (i) the asymptotic behavior of the ground state energy and its leading corrections for large molecules; (ii) the ground state density near the Coulomb singularities of the nuclei; and (iii) bounds on the excess charge and ionization energy for various models of atomic and molecular systems. The proposed work involves developing approximate methods of calculating various quantities associated with the atomic physics of large atoms and molecules. The systems in question are described by the Schrodinger equation, a partial differential equation which in the cases at hand involves many variables. It is thus too difficult to solve explicitly, and approximation techniques must be developed to understand these systems. Professor Siedentop's research will contribute to this important field in an area of interest to both mathematicians and physicists.
