Wentzel

Wentzel is a surname of German origin, a variant of Wenzel, which itself derives from the given name Wenceslaus. The spelling Wentzel appears in German-speaking and Central European communities, and may be encountered alongside related forms such as Wenzel and Wenzl.

In science, the name is associated most prominently with Gregor Wentzel, a physicist who contributed to quantum mechanics. He is remembered for the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin (WKB) approximation, developed in the 1920s with Hendrik Kramers and Léon Brillouin. The WKB method provides approximate solutions to the Schrödinger equation in regions where the potential varies slowly relative to the particle's de Broglie wavelength.

The WKB approximation has become a standard tool in quantum mechanics, semiclassical analysis, and physical chemistry. It is used to estimate energy levels, tunneling probabilities, and to gain insights into classically allowed and forbidden regions.

Beyond this, Wentzel appears in historical records and biographical entries as a surname in Germanic and Central European lineages, reflecting broader patterns of migration and linguistic variation. See also related surnames such as Wenzel and Wenceslaus.