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Physics Department Records
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Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
This collection contains documents dating from 1909, when the Physics Department was associated with the Engineering School, although the study of physics at Princeton University can be traced to the arrival of Professor of Natural Philosophy Joseph Henry in 1832. Under the leadership of Chairman William F. Magie (1908-1929), the Department gained independence from the Engineering School and increased its faculty to include noted professors such as Henry D. Smyth, Allen G. Shenstone, and Louis A. Turner. The Department became an international center for theoretical physics when Eugene P. Wigner and John von Neumann joined the faculty and when the University's association with the Institute for Advanced Study began in 1930. During the 1930s, the Department began to conduct research in the field of nuclear physics under Milton G. White and convinced the University to build a cyclotron in Palmer Laboratory. During World War II, most of the Physics Department faculty engaged in the war effort by joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Radiation Laboratory, becoming involved in the top-secret development of the atomic bomb, and teaching physics to servicemen who trained in Princeton. With the Nazi persecutions in Europe, eminent physicists such as Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Rudolf Ladenburg immigrated to the United States and became members of the Institute for Advanced Study, where they maintained close ties with Princeton's Physics Department. During the post-war years, the Department turned its attention back to theoretical physics and continued to expand its research with the help of generous government grants.
Documents the scientific and teaching activities of Princeton University physicists from 1909 to 1962. While routine activities such as the hiring of faculty and the education of graduate and undergraduate students are recorded, these records also detail the Department's activities in early studies of theoretical physics, as well as its participation in World War II research activities. There is also a small amount of material that documents Milton White's efforts toward builing the cyclotron (1936).
Full text searching of the Physics Department archived website is available through the Archive-It interface.
This collection was processed by Meghan Glass and Gena Bursin in 2001. Finding aid written by Meghan Glass and Gena Bursin in 2001. Series 5 was added and the finding aid updated by Christie Peterson in June 2012.
People
- Bleakney, Walker, 1901-1992
- Ladenburg, Rudolf Walter, 1882-1952
- Shenstone, Allen Goodrich, 1893 - Correspondence
- Smyth, Henry De Wolf, 1898 - Correspondence
- Wigner, Eugene Paul, 1902-1995
- Naumann, Robert A.
Organization
- Princeton University - Faculty - 20th century - Correspondence.
- Princeton University - History - Sources.
- Princeton University. Dept. of Physics.
Subject
- Publisher
- University Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Meghan Glass; Gena Bursin
- Finding Aid Date
- 2001
- Access Restrictions
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Collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. For quotations that are fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. If copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers will not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with non-commercial use of materials from the Mudd Library. For materials where the copyright is not held by the University, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold the copyright and obtaining approval from them. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Series 1, Chairman H. D. Smyth Records, 1933-1953, contains personal and departmental papers from the tenure of Henry De Wolf Smyth, who chaired the Physics Department from 1935-1949. This series has several large groupings of files, such as applications for teaching positions and fellowships, departmental as well as confidential business, and recommendations for students and faculty. Other topics in this series include nuclear physics research in conjunction with the war effort, correspondence with faculty members, undergraduate and graduate instruction, financial records, and various committees, symposiums, and research efforts.
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No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Series 2, Assistant to the Chairman Records, 1919-1957, is the largest series in the collection and covers a wide range of administrative matters, including federally funded research projects, applications for teaching positions and fellowships, recommendations for positions and financial awards, routine paperwork such as travel vouchers and classified materials receipts, committee work, and research efforts. This series also contains atomic energy research publications, personnel records, and information regarding Palmer Laboratory.
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No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Series 3, Technical Reports, 1943-1962, contains Walker Bleakney's personal collection of technical reports, arranged alphabetically by title, describing physics research during the greater part of his long tenure at Princeton University (1932-1969). Most were generated under the auspices of the Physics Department.
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No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Series 4, Subject Files, 1909-1956, contains a mix of documents ranging from minute books and financial records to examination papers and course notes. This series also contains information relating to Princeton University's Bicentennial, which was celebrated in 1946 and 1947. Among this material are papers presented at the "Future of Nuclear Science Symposium," which the Physics Department hosted during the Bicentennial.
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The materials in Series 5, Miscellaneous Materials of Unknown Origins, circa 1913-1971 have not been arranged in any particular order.
Series 5: Miscellaneous Materials of Unknown Origins, circa 1913-1971 consists of previously unprocessed materials whose origins prior to their appearance in the University Archives are unknown, but which appear to be related to the Princeton University Department of Physics. It includes several files on the career of Eugene Paul Wigner, some reprints related to Anne Kenny, photographs of Palmer Laboratory researchers, two photographs of faculty with Albert Einstein, and a roll of microfilm of minutes and other materials.
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May have been Anne Kenny's files.
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No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Series 6, Professor Milton G. White Materials includes documents related to the Princeton cyclotron, correspondence with prominent physicists, notes for talks, and his Ph.D. thesis.
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Includes photographs.
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Correspondence with Dr. Donald Cooksey at Berkeley and Corning Glass Works regarding glass insulators for cyclotron construction.
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Also includes estimated costs for reconstruction of cyclotron and some correspondence with the Office of Naval Research on the progress of nuclear research at Princeton.
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The Physics Department website provides current and prospective undergraduate and graduate students with general information about the program, including course offerings, departmental requirements, and special programs. Also found in the graduate program section of the site are graduate theses dating back to 2002. The website further contains research descriptions, a directory, calendars, and information about the Princeton Women in Physics Group, a support and advocacy for post-graduate women in the department.
Full text searching of the Physics Department archived website is available through the Archive-It interface.
No arrangement has been imposed on this series.
Physical Description1 website