Main content

Physics Department Records

Notifications

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

Call Number:
AC133
Repository:
Princeton University Library: University Archives
Extent:
  • 36 boxes
  • 1 websites
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Physics Department Records, Box and Folder Number; Princeton University Archives, Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
Date:
1909-2015 (inclusive)
Creator:
Princeton University. Dept. of Physics.
Form:
Correspondence, Web sites., and Reports.
Abstract:
The records of the Physics Department document 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).

Princeton University. Dept. of Physics.

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.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

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
Organization
Subject

Publisher
University Archives
Finding Aid Author
Meghan Glass; Gena Bursin
Finding Aid Date
2001
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.

For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Collection Inventory

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

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.

Physical Description

12 boxes

Advisory Council, 1941-1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Advisory Council, 1943-1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

American Physical Society (APS) Meetings, 1941-1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Applications for Fellowships, 1934-1937. 3 folders.
Physical Description

3 folders

Applications for Non-Academic Positions, 1939. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Applications for Teaching Positions, 1934-1937. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Appointments, 1934-1937. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Army Instruction Program, 1946-1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Materials Viewable Online
  1. View digital content
Bleakney, Walker, 1934-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bleakney, Walker: Correspondence with Oil Companies, 1936-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Brakeley, G. A./Mills, G. A. Correspondence, 1944-1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bursar, 1937-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Catalog Changes, 1937-1938. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Chemistry Department Invoices, 1934-1936. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Clearance Correspondence, 1942-1943. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Condon, E. U, 1936-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Confidential Business, 1933-1939. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Confidential Business, 1939-1945. 4 folders.
Physical Description

4 folders

Controller, 1941-1943. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Cooke, H. L, 1935-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence with E. P. Adams, 1934-1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence Regarding Smyth's Books, 1935-1938. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence Regarding Smyth's Books, 1940-1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence Regarding Stratosphere Flights, 1934-1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Cyclotron, 1936-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Departmental Business, 1933-1937. 4 folders.
Physical Description

4 folders

Departmental Business (A - P), 1937-1938. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Departmental Business (R - Z), 1937-1938. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Departmental Business, 1938-1942. 5 folders.
Physical Description

5 folders

Departmental Business, 1942-1945. 5 folders.
Physical Description

5 folders

Departmental Business (Courses, Examinations, etc.), 1938-1940. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Departmental Business (Courses, Examinations, etc.), 1940-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Departmental Charges (General), 1941-1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Departmental Charges Against OSRD Contracts, 1941-1943. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Departmental Records, 1941-1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Gas Cylinder Records, 1944. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Government Forms Compliant to War Legislation, 1943-1944. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Graduate School, 1934-1942. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Graduate Work, 1935-1938. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Grounds and Buildings, 1936-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Henderson, M. G, 1935-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Inter-Office Correspondence, 1944-1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ladenburg, R, 1934-1937. 4 folders.
Physical Description

4 folders

Ladenburg, R.: Death Announcement, 1953. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ladenburg, R.: European Tour, 1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ladenburg, R.: Personal Correspondence, 1935-1936. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ladenburg, R.: Retirement Symposium, 1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Magie, W. F, 1934-1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

McGraw-Hill Correspondence, 1939-1940. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Medical Schools, 1936-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Memoranda: Palmer Lab, 1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Morris, J. C, 1934-1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

National Research Fellowships, 1934-1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Palmer Memoranda Personnel Policy, 1944-1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Patent Committee, 1938-1939. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Personal Correspondence, 1934-1935. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Physics 103-104, 1935-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Physics Accounts, 1936-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

President's Report, 1938-1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Priority Correspondence, 1941-1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Purchasing Department, 1939-1940. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Radium (Purchase, Accident, etc.), 1936-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Recommendations, 1935-1945. 7 folders.
Physical Description

7 folders

Recommendations (Miscellaneous), 1934-1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Recommendations for Fellowships, 1934-1937. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Research Committee, 1934-1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ridenour, L. N, 1936-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shenstone, A. G, 1934-1937. 3 folders.
Physical Description

3 folders

Shenstone, A. G.: Carnegie Fund, 1934-1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Snyder, T, 1940-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Travel Expenses, 1940-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Turner, L. A, 1934-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Van Voohris, C. C, 1934-1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Wheeler, J. A, 1939-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

White, M. G, 1935-1937. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Wigner, E, 1939-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Yearbook Reports, 1934-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Miscellaneous, 1934-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1935-1936. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

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.

Physical Description

16 boxes

Adams, E. P, 1931-1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Applications for Fellowships, 1933-1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Applications for Teaching Positions, 1933-1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Atomic Committee, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Atomic Energy Research Publications, 1953-1957. 5 folders.
Physical Description

5 folders

Atomic Energy Research Publications, 1957. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Balloon Flights from Princeton, 1947-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bartol Committee Minutes, 1932-1933. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Brakeley, G. A./Mills, G. A. Correspondence, 1945-1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Breakdown of Monthly Labor in Palmer Laboratory, 1951-1954. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Breakdown of Shop Labor, 1953-1956. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Breakdown of Stock Withdrawal, 1951-1954. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Brookhaven Reports, 1948-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Buchta, J. M, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Budget for Teaching (A-185), 1945-1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Calibration Sheets, 1931-1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Candidates for Staff Positions, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Chemistry Department, 1931-1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Civilian Defense, 1951-1952. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Cobalt (Loss of Source), 1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Committee on Course of Study, 1944-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Committee on Mathematical Physics, 1931. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Committee on Project Research and Inventions, 1946-1948. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Concave Grating Spectrograph, 1929. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence, 1928-1931. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Contract A-722 Correspondence, 1951-1956. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Contract A-722 Proposal, 1954-1957. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Contract A-761 Proposal, 1951-1952. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Contract A-812 Correspondence, 1952-1955. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Cooke, H. L, 1924-1931. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence with President Harold W. Dodds, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence, 1948-1950. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Cyclotron Shield, 1948-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Departmental Business, 1919-1920. 3 folders.
Physical Description

3 folders

Dirac, P. A. M. Lecture Notes, 1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Distribution of Non-Academic Labor, 1953-1954. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Divisional Council, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Dunning Experiment, 1951. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Einstein Symposium (70th Birthday), 1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Materials Viewable Online
  1. View digital content
Electrical Renovations, 1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Equipment: Palmer Lab, 1950-1953. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Expedition, A-722, 1953-1954. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Federation of American Scientists, 1947-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Final Sublimation System, 1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Fiscal Statements for A-405 and A-722, 1951-1956. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Fiscal Statements for A-724 and A-920, 1953-1957. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Fiscal Statements for A-766, 1952-1955. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Fiscal Statements for A-812, 1955. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Foulk, W. B. (Office of Director of Purchases), 1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

General Electric Research Fellowships, 1922-1923. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Graduate School, 1931-1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Guard Service, 1945-1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Hourly Shop Labor Transfer, 1947-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Insurance, 1945-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Initiatory Associated Universities Group, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Invoices, 1950-1951. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Job Descriptions (Palmer Laboratory), 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Joseph Henry Fund, 1922-1925. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ladenburg, R, 1931-1934. 6 folders.
Physical Description

6 folders

Lewis Expedition, 1948-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Magie, W. F, 1922-1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Material Charges for A-238, 1950-1956. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Medical Schools, 1931-1936. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Morris, J. C, 1929-1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Moving Expenses, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

National Research Council, 1922-1924. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

National Carloading Co, 1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

National Research Fellowships, 1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Norton-Sound, USS Expedition, 1948-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Overhead, 1946-1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Overtime Statements for A-239, 1953-1957. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Palmer Laboratory Administration, 1944-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Palmer Laboratory Electrical System, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Palmer Laboratory Equipment, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Palmer Laboratory Personnel, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Patents 1938, 1944-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Personnel: Forked River, 1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Personnel: General, 1946-1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Personnel Problems (Minutes of Meetings), 1945-1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Petty Cash, 1948-1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Phi Beta Kappa, 1953-1954. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Physics 103-104; 109-110 (Exams and Tests), 1933-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Picker X-Ray Proposal (White, M.G.), 1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Press Institute Physics (PIP) Publications, 1947-1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Procedures, 1946-1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Procurement, 1946-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Plastics Laboratory: Signal Corps Report, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Positions (Recommendations), 1931-1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Radium, 1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ray (Cosmic) Project Budget, 1946-1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ray (Cosmic) Project Contracts with ONR, 1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Receipts for Classified Material, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Receipts for Received Material, 1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Recommendations, 1933-1934. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Recommendations for Positions, 1932-1933. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Recommendations for Scholarships and Fellowships, 1933. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Rehabilitation of Palmer Laboratory, 1946-1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Reports for A-812 (Quarterly), 1951-1955. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Report for War Service Bureau, 1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Reports to ONR (Monthly Progress), 1946-1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Research Committee, 1933-1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Research Items, 1946-1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Research (Postwar), 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Rules and Regulations from the Dean, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Salaries, 1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Salary Adjustments, 1944-1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Schedules and Calendars for University Term, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Science Committee, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scientific Manpower, 1950-1957. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Security, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Summer Employment, 1947-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shenstone, A. G, 1928-1934. 4 folders.
Physical Description

4 folders

Shenstone, A. G.: Carnegie Fund, 1933-1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shop Transfers and Appropriation Ledger, 1952-1956. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shop Work Orders, 1947-1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Smyth, H. D, 1926. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Special Carnegie Fund for Grating Room, 1931-1933. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Steering Committee, 1947-1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Third Century Fund, 1947-1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Travel Vouchers, 1955-1957. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Turner, L. A, 1931-1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Undergraduate Teaching, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Vacations, 1946-1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Ufford, C. W, 1931-1933. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Van Atta, L. C, 1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Van Voorhis, C. C, 1929-1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Visitors, 1945-1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Wage and Hour Adjustment (Post Victory Day), 1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

War Research in Princeton, 1950-1951. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Wigner: Solid State Notes, 1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Work Orders for A-239, etc, 1953-1957. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Work Orders for A-724, etc, 1957. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Work Orders for A-761, etc, 1953-1956. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Work Orders for A-812, etc, 1952-1955. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Yearbook Reports, 1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Miscellaneous, 1945-1949. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Miscellaneous: Correspondence, 1924. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Miscellaneous: Personnel, 1945-1949. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

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.

Physical Description

4 boxes

Approximate Calculation of Equilibrium Conditions behind Shock Waves in Noble Gases by G. Niblett and A. Kenny, 1957 October. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Concrete Penetration by Richard A. Beth, 1945 April 7. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Concrete Penetration Final Report by Richard A. Beth, 1946 May 31. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Conditions for Existence of Three Shock Waves by S. Chandrasekhar, 1943 June 5. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Contact Explosions against Concrete by I. M. Freeman, etc, 1946 February 14. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Cylinder and Semicylinder in Subsonic Flow by Harry H. Bingham, etc, 1952 July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Deformable Projectiles for Flexible Gunnery Training by Princeton and Duke Ballistic Research Groups, 1943 October 10. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Diffraction of a Shock Wave over a Rectangular Notch by W. R. Smith, 1954 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Effect of Burst Height on the Blast from Explosives Final Report by A. H. Taub, 1946 August 15. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Effectiveness of U. S. Incendiary and High-Explosive Bombs Final Report on AN-23 Project, 1946 October 24. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Effects of Underground Explosions, IV by C. W. Lampson, 1946 March 28. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Effects of Underground Explosions Final Report by C. W. Lampson, 1946 August 26. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Flying Wind Tunnel Experiments by J. von Neumann and A. H. Taub, 1945 November 20. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Frangible Bullet for Use in Aerial Gunnery Training Final Report by Duke University, 1947 January 13. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Interferometric Measurement in the Shock Tube of the Dissociation Rate of Oxygen by D. L. Matthews, 1959 March-April. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Laminar Boundary Layer Induced by Travelling Shock Wave by D. Bershader and J. Allport, 1956 May. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Mach Reflection of Weak Shock Waves by C. H. Fletcher, 1950 June 15. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Mach Reflection of Shock Waves Experimental Survey by D. R. White, 1951 August 21. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Magnetohydrodynamic Stability of Curved Viscous Flows by Ulrich H. Kurzweg, 1961 July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Mechanics of Armor Perforation by H. P. Robertson, 1943 November 16. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Method for Pressure Profile Modification in a Shock Tube by D. R. White and D. K. Weimer, 1952 April. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Mutual Reflection of Two Shock Waves of Arbitrary Strength by W. R. Smith, 1959 October. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Nearly Glancing Reflection of Shocks by Valentine Bargmann, 1945 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

New Numerical Method for Hydrodynamical Shock Problems Treatment by J. von Neumann, 1947 June 18. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

On the Vortices Produced in Shock Diffraction by L. N. Howard and D. L. Matthews, 1955 July. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Organization List of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, 1944 December 3. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Partial Equilibrium States behind Shock Waves in O2, N2, CO, CO2 and N2O by W. C. Griffith and A. Kenny, 1957 March. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Penetration Theory: Separable Force Laws and Penetration Time by R. A. Beth, 1945 July 10. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Photoelastic Stress Analysis of a Shock Loaded Body by R. G. Jahn, 1951 July 31. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Pressure-Distance Relation for TNT by Shock Velocity Measurement by R. G. Stoner, 1946 August 8. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Probability of Plastic Protection Perforation by Caliber .30 AP M-2 Bullets by L. G. Smith, 1944 February 1. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Remeasurement of Reflection Angles in Regular and Mach Reflection of Shock Waves by F. B. Harrison and W. Bleakney, 1947 March. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Reynolds Number Effect on Shock Wave Diffraction by W. C. Griffith, etc, 1951 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Interaction with Thermal Boundary Layer Diffusion Analogy by W. C. Griffith and W. Bleakney, 1955 January. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Loading of Rectangular Structures, 1952 January 10. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Tube Investigation of the Ionization of Cesium Vapors by Alan F. Haught, 1962 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Waves Diffraction Around Obstacles and Transient Loading of Structures, 1950 March 16. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Waves Diffraction Around Obstacles and Transient Loading of Structures by D. R. White, etc, 1950 August 1. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Wave Diffraction over a 3-D Object by D. E. Brickl and W. Bleakney, 1953 April. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Wave Phenomena Symposium, White Oak, Maryland, 1949 June 30. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Waves Refraction at a Gaseous Interface (Irregular Refraction) by R. G. Jahn, 1955 April. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Waves Refraction at a Gaseous Interface (Regular Refraction of Strong Shocks) by R. G. Jahn, 1955 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Waves Refraction at a Gaseous Interface (Regular Refraction of Weak Shocks) by R. G. Jahn, 1954 June. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shock Waves Started by Infinitesimally Short Energy Detonation by J. von Neumann, 1941 June 30. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Soil Conditions at Underground Explosion Tests Site, Camp Gruber, OK and Princeton, NJ by R. B. Peck, 1944 September 14. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Some Numerical Results on Refraction of Plane Shocks by A. H. Taub, 1947 March. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

States of Partial and Complete Equilibrium behind Shock Waves in N2O and NO by W. R. Smith, 1958 October. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Statistical Sign Test by Princeton Statistical Research Group, 1945 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Study of Physical Vulnerability of Military Targets to Aerial Bombardment by Princeton Weapon Effects Group, 1946 March 6. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Terminal Ballistics of Armor-Piercing Projectiles Final Report by C. W. Curtis, 1946 May 27. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Theory of Probability by Henry Scheffé, 1944 February 14. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Transonic Flow by W. C. Griffith, 1950 December 19. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Velocity Loss Measurements on Shocks in a Shock Tube by R. J. Emrich, 1948 November 18. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Vibrational Relaxation of Carbon Monoxide in Shock Tube, 1961 February. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Vibrational Relaxation in O2 and N2 by V. H. Blackman, 1955 May. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Wind Variations Effect on Sound Velocity Used in Shock Wave Measurements by R. G. Stoner and W. Bleakney, 1950 June 15. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

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.

Physical Description

4 boxes

Bicentennial: Address Delivered on the Occasion of the Celebration by M. Sandoval Vallarta, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Application of Artificial Radioactive Tracers by G. T. Seaborg, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Elementary Particles and Their Interactions by P. A. M. Dirac, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Experimental Methods of Nuclear Physics by E. O. Lawrence, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Foundation of Freedom in Science by M. Polanyi, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Future of Nuclear Science, Program and Conference List, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Future of Nuclear Science Symposium, Original Manuscripts, 1946. 3 folders.
Physical Description

3 folders

Bicentennial: The Ivory Tower and the Ivory Gate by Henry Norris Russell, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1946-1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Natural Sciences and Their Relation to Philosophy and Human Values by F. S. C. Northrop, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: New Vistas for Intelligence by P. W. Bridgman, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Place of the Large Laboratory in Nuclear Research by L. A. DuBridge, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Plans, 1945-1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Proton Scattering by Robert R. Wilson, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Scientific Role in International Relations by H. A. Kramers, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Statement made by M. G. Mescheryakav, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bicentennial: Uses and Hopes of Scientific Societies by H. Shapley, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bills Paid and Statements, 1928-1929. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Departmental Correspondence, 1928-1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Minute Books for Physics and Electrical Engineering, 1909-1950. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Minute Book for Physics Department, 1920-1952. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Professor E. P. Adams Course Notes, 1909-1943. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Physics Examination Papers, 1940-1956. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Physics Junior Year Examination Papers, 1925-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Materials Viewable Online
  1. View digital content
Physics Senior Year Examination Papers, 1925-1943. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Materials Viewable Online
  1. View digital content
Physics Test Papers, 1936-1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Relation of Research in Universities to Government and Commercial Laboratories by I. I. Rabi, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Research Committees, 1927-1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Arrangement

The materials in Series 5, Miscellaneous Materials of Unknown Origins, circa 1913-1971 have not been arranged in any particular order.

Scope and Contents

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.

Physical Description

1 box

Press Relases, News Clippings and Photographs of Euguene Paul Wigner, 1945-1994. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Photographs of Eugene Paul Wigner Retirement Celebration, 1971. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Reprints of Articles Authored by and Thanking Anne Kenny, 1956-1957. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Photographs of Palmer Lab Researchers, and of Physics Department Faculty with Albert Einstein, circa 1945-1950. 1 box.
Scope and Contents

May have been Anne Kenny's files.

Physical Description

1 box

Materials Viewable Online
  1. View digital content
Microfilm Negative of "Minutes of the Department of Physics, Etc.", circa 1913-1952. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

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.

Biographical / Historical

Milton Grandison White (1910-) came to Princeton from Berkeley in the mid 1930s; he served as the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics at Princeton and he built the university's first cyclotron in 1936.

Physical Description

1 box

Notebook Containing Details of Construction of First Princeton Cyclotron, circa 1936. 1 box.
Scope and Contents

Includes photographs.

Physical Description

1 box

Notebook, Record of Radioactivities Observed from Bombardment with Pre-World War II Cyclotron, circa 1930s. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Drafts of Papers Reporting Radioactive Isotopes Produced in Bombardment with Pre-World War II Cyclotron, circa 1930s. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Radiation Lab, Glass Insulators, circa 1938. 1 box.
Scope and Contents

Correspondence with Dr. Donald Cooksey at Berkeley and Corning Glass Works regarding glass insulators for cyclotron construction.

Physical Description

1 box

Correspondence with R.D. Present, R. Oppenheimer, and R. Serber Regarding Proton Scattering, circa 1935. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Materials Viewable Online
  1. View digital content
Lecture and Notes Regarding Helium, circa 1935. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Lecture on Carbon Isotopes (1940) and American Physical Society Program and Information (June 1939), 1939-1940. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

White's Ph.D. Thesis, "An Investigation of the Laws of Nuclear Scattering of High Energy Protons in Hydrogen", dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Naumann, Robert A.. Department of Physics Monthly Status Reports and Proposals for Research, 1946-1950. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

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.

Physical Description

1 folder

Series 7: Public Website, 2015. 1 website.
Scope and Contents

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.

Arrangement

No arrangement has been imposed on this series.

Physical Description

1 website

Materials Viewable Online
  1. View digital content

Print, Suggest