Walker Bleakney Papers, 1920s-1961

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Creator:

Bleakney, Walker (1901-1992)

Title:

Walker Bleakney Papers

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/d217qp51n

Dates:

1920s-1961

Size:

27 boxes and 16.30 linear feet

Storage Note:

ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1-27

Language:

English

Abstract: Walker Bleakney was a renowned physicist who served as a Princeton professor of physics (1932-1969) and chairman of the physics department (1960-1967). This collection consists of Bleakney's papers, including published and unpublished reports, drafts of articles, graphic data and photographs of experiments, and other material concerning Bleakney's defense-related research on shock waves at the Princeton Gas Dynamics Laboratory, as well as lecture notes and correspondence.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of papers of Bleakney, Princeton professor of physics (1932-1969) and chairman of the physics department (1960-1967). Included are published and unpublished reports, drafts of articles, graphic data and photographs of experiments, and other material concerning Bleakney's defense-related research on shock waves at the Princeton Gas Dynamics Laboratory, as well as lecture notes and correspondence. Additions to the papers include personal and general correspondence, reports, research papers, Bleakney's notes while at the University of Minnesota, Princeton University lectures and notes for classes, and correspondence related to his involvement in various research and defense organizations, such as the National Defense Research Committee, the National Research Council, Sandia Corporation, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Office of Naval Research.

Collection Creator Biography:

Bleakney

Walker Bleakney was a renowned physicist known for his contributions to the fields of atomic physics, molecular physics, and fluid dynamics; his research on the ionization of gases; and his study of blast waves. Born in Elderton, Pa., Bleakney earned his BS degree at Whitman College in 1924 and his PHD at the University of Minnesota in 1930. After working for two years at Princeton as a National Research Fellow, he joined the faculty as an instructor in 1932. Promoted to assistant professor in 1935, he became associate professor in 1938 and professor in 1944. Bleakney was named Cyrus Fogg Brackett Professor of Physics in 1953 and Class of 1909 Professor 10 years later. From 1960 to 1967, he chaired the Department of Physics.

Author of many technical reports, Bleakney was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1959 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1963. During and immediately after World War II, he served with the National Defense Research Committee, the Office of Scientific Research and Development, the National Research Council, and as a consultant to the Army, the Navy, and the Atomic Energy Commission. He was the head of the Princeton Ballistic Project. His research covered various fields of physics, including shock waves, atomic scattering, and nuclear phenomena. He died in 1992.

Collection History

Acquisition:: Transferred from Mudd Library in 1990-1991.
Appraisal: No appraisal information is available.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

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. For instances beyond Fair Use, 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.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

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.

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