BLACKETT_PATRICK_MAYNARD_STUART
CONTEMPORARYSCIENTIFIC ARCHIVES CENTRE
Catalogue of the papers and correspondence of
PATRICK MAYNARD STUART BLACKETT, OM FRS
BARON BLACKETT OF CHELSEA
(1897-1974)
Compiled by Jeannine Alton, Harriot Weiskittel and Julia Latham-Jacskon
VOLUMEI
List of Contents
General Introduction
Sections A - C
Deposited in the Library
Royal Society, London
CSAC 63/1/79
All rights reserved
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
LIST OF CONTENTS
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
A.
BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL
A.1 - A.106
Introduction to Section A
A.]
- A.10
Obituaries and tributes
Biographical and bibliographical
notes
,
A.1]
- A.39
Career and appointments
A.40
- A.84
Honours and awards
Correspondence and letters of
congratulation
A.85
- A.104
Scrolls, Certificates and Diplomas
A.105 -A.106
Photographs and press-cuttings
B.
PARTICLE DISINTEGRATION, COSMIC RAYS,
ASTROPHYSICS
B.1 - B.147
Introduction to Section B
B.1
- B.21
B.22
- B.61
Laboratory notebooks on particle
disintegration, 1920-32, with an
introductory note
Working notes and papers on
particle disintegration and
cosmic rays, 1923-56, with an
introductory note
B.62
- B.67
Photographsof particle
disintegration and cosmic rays
B.68
- B.74
Working notes on theories of the
origin of cosmic rays, 1949-55
B.75
- B.83
Working notes on astrophysics,
1953-59
B.84
~ Boll
Lectures, broadcasts, publications,
1932-60, with an introductory note
B.132
- B.147 Correspondence, 1923-74, with an
introductory note
12
12
13
14
23
29
3]
32
32
44
60
61
63
66
73
P.M.S. Blackett
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C.
MAGNETISM
C.1 - C.289
Introduction to Section C
Magnetic Spin and Rotating Bodies
C.1 - C.71
Introduction
C.1
- C.29
Working papers, lectures and
publications, 1946-54
C.30 - C.40
Notebooks, 1947-54, with an
introductory note
C.41
- C.71
Correspondence, 1946-73
Rock Magnetism, Continental Drift, Magnetic
Field Reversal
C.72 - C.268
Introduction
C.72 - €.124
Working notes, data, correspondence,
1953-61
C.125- C€.188
Working notes, data, correspondence
on field reversal, 1963-73, with an
introductory note
C.189 - €.220
Lectures and papers on rock
magnetism, 1953-72
C.221 - €.268
Correspondence, 1952-74, with
an introductory note
High Temperature Plasmas, Controlled Fusion Reaction and
Pinched Discharges
C.269 - C.285
Notes and working papers, 1958-59, with an
introductory note
Miscellaneous Research Notes
C.286 - C.289
Page
81
81
82
82
83
89
91
96
96
98
110
128
136
148
152
P.M.S. Blackett
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DO,
SECOND WORLD WAR AND GOVERNMENT
COMMITTEES
D.1 - D.218
Introduction to Section D
Each of the sub-sections below is preceded by an
explanatory note on the content and presentation
of the material.
D.1
-D.10
Correspondence and papers,
1936-40
Projects in preparation for war
D.11
-D.37
Photo-electric and promixity fuzes
Working papers, reports, committee
papers, correspondence, 1937-42
D.38 - D.58
The Mark XIV Bombsight
Papers and reports, 1940-45, 1973
D.59 - D.78
D.79 -D.81
Bombing policy
Working papers, reports, corres-
pondence, 1941-46, 1962
Convoys and anti U-boat campaign
Reports, correspondence, 1942-43,
1959
D.82
Miscellaneous wartime papers
D.83 - D.125
Operational Research
Working papers, reports, lectures,
correspondence, 1940-74
D.126 - D.147
Correspondence, 1942 (only)
D.148 - D.160
Chiefs of Staff Subcommittee on
Future Weapons, June 1945
D.161 - D.183
Joint Technical Warfare Committee
(Successor to the above), Oct.1945-
Apr. 1947, 1959, 1964, 1972
D.184 - D.205
Advisory Committee on Atomic
Energy (ACAE), Aug. 1945- Apr. 1949
D.206 - D.208
Harwell Power Committee, May-Oct.
1946
D.209 - D.216
R.A.F. Aircraft Research Committee,
1946-52
D.217 - D.218
Guided Weapons Advisory Committee,
1947-52
Page
153
153
155
157
163
167
170
171
172
185
190
193
199
204
205
208
P.M.S. Blackett
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i
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
E.1- £.76
Introduction to Section E
E;l
= £,23
Association of Scientific
Workers, 1939-48, 1963-67, with
an introductory note
E.24 - E.34
'The Gaitskell Group', 1956-63,
with an introductory note
E.35 -
E.47
Miscellaneous Socialist and
Labour Party activities, 1956-64
E.48 - E.65
The Ministry of Technology
(Mintech), 1963-72, with an
introductory note
E.66 - E.74
Miscellaneous Labour Party and
official committees, 1954-69
E.75 - E.76
Printed material
Page
209
209
211
216
22)
226
231
234
Fis
SCIENCE-RELATED INTERESTS
Fal ~ FsBS
235
Lectures, broadcasts, working papers,
correspondence, on:
F.l
- F.8
FP - F.5I
F.w2 = F.25
History of science and
technology, 1936-59, with
an introductory note
Science, education and
government, 1944-70, with
an introductory note
Nuclear weapons and
disarmament, 1948-64, with
an introductory note
236
238
250
P.M.S. Blackett
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G.
OVERSEAS ACTIVITIES
G.1- G.126
Introduction to Section G
India, 1947-73
G.1- G.55
G.1
- G.31
Reports, lectures, papers,
1947-72
G.32 - G.44
Correspondence, mainly on
science and defence, 1949-73
G.45 - G.51
Correspondence, mainly on
development, 1970-73
G.52
G.55
Visits
Developing Countries, Visits and Conferences
G.56 = G.126
G.56 - G.76
Lectures and addresses, 1953-70
G.77 -
G.8]1
Organisations and committees,
1959-73
G.82 - G.84
Correspondence, 1951, 1964-71
G.85 - G.126
Visits and conferences, 1944-71,
with an introductory note
H.
LECTURES, ADDRESSES, PUBLICATIONS,
BROADCASTS, 1934-73
Hl = A, 1S?
Introduction to Section H
J.
CORRESPONDENCE
J.] ~ J. 158
Introduction to Section J
CONSPECTUS OF PUBLICATIONS
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
INDEX OF CORRESPONDENTS
5
Page
258
258
260
260
266
268
269
270
270
274
276
277
289
289
328
328
348
356
361
P.M.S. Blackett
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6
GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE COLLECTION
PROVENANCE
The material was assembled from various sources:
from Blackett's flat in London and his house in Wales, via Lady Blackett;
from his room at Imperial College, London, via the Royal Society and
Professor H. Elliot.
Lady Blackett currently retains Blackett's diaries of his service in the
Navy 1914-16 (see A.11), four bound volumes of press-cuttings, photographs and
other family documents.
CONTENT
The collection is extensive, relating to almost every aspect of Blackett's
long and varied career in science and in public life.
Blackett himself frequently
used the material for lectures and writings on matters of particular personal or
historical interest such as his period of research at the Cavendish Laboratory,
Cambridge, under Rutherford, operational research and other controversies in the
second world war, aspects of India's development, and the like.
Furthermore,
it is apparent that, towards the end ofhis life, he was assembling material for
one or perhaps two books: a collection of writings and an autobiography.” The
clearest statement of his intentions is in a letter to M.M. Gowing dated 22 May
1972, in which he says: '... | am considering the possibility of publishing a
volume of my collective papers, essays, lectures, etc.' (see D. 183);
in November
1973 he writes in similar vein to the Director, National Maritime Museum: 'I am
writing up a good deal about my activities during the war ...' (see D.58); the
note in H.123 would also seem to be part of a draft introduction to such a work.
With this in view, Blackett obtained published or typed copies of the writings
chosen for inclusion, revised and emended them, and sometimes added new linking
material.
Documents of this kind can be found in
D.58, D.110, D.183 (quoted in part above)
G.23-G.31, G.72, G.84
H.1, H.64, H.77, H.96, H.109, H.110, H.119, H.124.
It will be seen that none of these refers to any of Blackett's 'scientific' work in
the narrow sense.
*
See ADDENDUM on p.11.
P.M.S. Blackett
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7
As a result of these activities, and of the multiple provenance, the
collection when received was in doubtful order.
Although most of the folders
bore Blackett's own note of the contents, this was not always a reliable guide,
as he often 'cannibalised' previous work when preparing a lecture or paper,
removing earlier work to a new folder or adding later material to the originals.
While every attempt has been madeto retain Blackett's preferred order in so far
as it can be discerned, his headings and descriptions being preserved and indicated
by inverted commas in the catalogue entries, some re-organisation was undertaken
to bring the material under the broad headings of the List of Contents.
The introductory notes to the Sections and sub-sections of the catalogue
indicate the main areas of interest in the collection.
References to the ‘Tizard
Committee’ and the 'Tizard-Cherwell controversy’ are listed under Tizard in the
Index of Correspondents; similarly, material on Rutherford (see esp. H.80),
E.J. Williams, Nehru and others, can be located from the Index.
Various episodes in Blackett's career can be clarified, or more accurately
dated, from the manuscripts, and are briefly noted here in chronological order.
Fuller accounts appear in the catalogue entries.
J.35, correspondence with A.V. Hill on the date of Blackett's
appointment as Scientific Adviser to General Sir Frederick Pile,
A.A. Command;
D.84, Blackett's paper, ‘Scientists at the operational level’, leading
to his appointment as Chief Adviser Operational Research, later
Director, Naval Operational Research;
D.174, J.3, correspondence with C.R. Attlee and others on Blackett's
paper on the international control of atomic energy;
B.48, correspondence with C.D. Anderson on the discovery and naming
of V-particles;
E.24, E.33, papers and correspondence on the 'Gaitskell Group! of
Labour Party advisers.
P.M.S. Blackett
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8
There are also the text of, or material relating to a substantial numberof
publications by Blackett omitted from the Bibliography accompanying the Memoir
by A.C.B. Lovell (Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 21,
1975, 1-115, also available as a separate publication). They are listed here in
catalogue sequence.
B.115, B.116, B.120
C.197-C.199
D.104, D.108
F.19-F.21, F.30, F.58, F.63, F.72-F.74
G.4 (lackett's report on the organisation of the armed forces of
India), G.66, G.71, G.110
H.8, H.45, H.74, H.77, H.105, H.122, H.132, H.136, H.137, H.139
J.6, J.116
There are in addition many unpublished writings throughout the
collection.
For all the wealth of material in certain areas, there are lacunae elsewhere.
No documents survive, for example, relative to Blackett's long service with the
National Research and Development Corporation 1949-64, or the Department of
Scientific and Industrial Research 1955-60; and, of his correspondence in the war
years, only that for 1942 survives (D.126 - D.147).
Blackett always had a fondness for acronyms and abbreviations, and this
grew stronger with age; some ofhis later notes and drafts bristle with clusters of
initials which, in conjunction with his increasingly cramped hand andhis habit
of paginating by beginning with Roman | (on a page often later removed) and con-
tinuing in Arabic numbers 2...n, make them difficult to follow or attribute with
confidence.
Conversely, one can only admire his determination to maintain a
presence in the world of scientific research despite great pressures of public life,
and, later, of failing powers; the documents and correspondenceonhis last
research (C.182 - C.185) conveythis especially clearly.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
PRESENTATION
9
The material in Sections A - H is presented chronologically within the
sub-sections designated in the list of contents.
Section J. Correspondence, is in
alphabetical order.
Many of the Sections and sub-sections include a brief
introductory note summarising their contents and drawing attention to material of
particular interest.
Scientific research notes and data
Blackett's scientific fame rests in part on the versatility of mind which
enabled him to make significant contributions to knowledge in several areas of
research (particle disintegration, magnetic spin, rock magnetism) as well as to
develop the technique of operational research.
Nevertheless, these contributions
emerged from a gradual evolution in Blackett's thinking, and there is no sharp
switch from one to another even when there is a discontinuity in time (such as
the long period of war service) or place (such as the various moves from Cambridge
to Birkbeck, Manchester and Imperial College). The distinction between Sections
B and is therefore to some extent an artificial one, and cases of overlapping
material are noted in the entries.
Almost all the material was received in Blackett's own folders, usually
with his note of the contents in some abbreviated form, e.g., 'C.R.' (= Cosmic
Rays), 'R.M.' (© Rock Magnetism).
The contents of the folders may be any or
all of the following: laboratory experiments, datasheets, graphs and calculations;
notes, drafts and comments for talks or publications; Blackett's or others’ off-
prints, sometimes annotated; correspondence.
Bulky folders have beensplit into
more manageable units, but kept together with a note of their original grouping.
Blackett's titles and descriptions of the folders are given in inverted commas.
Blackett kept various sequencesof his notes clipped or pinned together.
These sequences have beenretained in his order, although the pagination, size of
paper, etc. are often heterogeneous.
Manyof Blackett's own notes were made on the backs of previous notes,
drafts, proofs, etc.
No attempt has been made to give an account of such
material.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Lectures and publications
10
Manuscript notes, typed drafts or offprints of Blackett's extensive output
of lectures and writings are to be found throughout the collection. Those on
specific research topics were kept by him with the data in Sections B and C and
have beenleft there;
similarly with material on operational research in Section D
and on India in Section G.
Section F groups together talks on three topics arising
from Blackett's involvement in public life, and Section H contains the sequence of
all other surviving documents of this type, including his Anniversary Addresses as
President of the Royal Society and his speeches in the House of Lords.
Correspondence
Correspondence dealing with a specific research topic, lecture or
publication was usually kept by Blackett in the same folder as his notes and drafts
on the subject.
Such material has been left in place wheneverpossible, or,
if it has been re-allocated, a note has been madeto that effect. The corres-
pondence on magnetic spin (C.41 - C.71) and on rock magnetism (C.221 - C.268)
is in chronological order and enables Blackett's thinking, his methods, and the
graph of his activity to be clearly seen.
The surviving correspondence on cosmic
rays (B. 132 - B.147) is, though interesting, regrettably much less complete.
There is very little material remaining from the war years.
Correspondence on overseas activities (G.32 - G.51, G.82 - G.84)
and general correspondence in Section J are in alphabetical order, with dates
and an indication of any material of personal or scientific interest; a note is
also made of cases when only
Blackett's carbon copy
survives.
py
y
The index on pp.361-401
includes correspondents from whom letters
survive, with cross-references to any other material relating to the individual
concerned.
P.M.S. Blackett
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Conspectus
1
Pp.348-355
contain a Conspectus of Blackett's publications as listed
in the Bibliography of Lovell, Memoir, and the principal items in the collection
to which they refer.
There is anote onp. 8
above of several publications
omitted from this Bibliography, and there are many unpublished items.
A photo-
copy of the Bibliography is included by permission on pp. 356-360.
References
Material in every Section is linked as far as possible to A.C.B. Lovell,
Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 21, 1975, 1-115, of which
a copy is included in A.1.
References to the text are in the form Lovell, Memoir, p ...
References to the Bibliography are in the form RS ...
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Weare very pleased to acknowledge the invaluable work of Professor
H. Elliot and Dr. J.P. Astbury in identifying for the Conspectus of Publications
the manuscripts and correspondence in Section B.
We are grateful for the advice given by Dr. W.S.C. Williams on cosmic
rays, and by Professor E.A. Vincent on rock magnetism.
Our thanks are also due to Mrs. M.M. Edwards for careful and accurate
typing, and her patience with successive drafts and revisions of the catalogue.
ADDENDUM
Whenthis catalogue was in proof, Lady Blackett contributed some additional
material, including plans and extracts from her husband's autobiography.
These
documents appear on p.13 as A.10A.
P.M.S. Blackett
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12
SECTION A
BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL A.1 - A. 106
The material in this Section covers every aspect of Blackett's long and varied
career:
his scientific achievements, his academic posts in Manchester and London, his
wartime and political activities, and the many honours and awards he received.
Some of the material is in the form of photocopies of original documentsstill in
family hands.
A substantial proportion of the Section (A.45 - A.83) consists of letters, cables
and messages of congratulation received by Blackett on the award of the Nobel Prize
(1948), the Copley Medal (1956), the Companionship of Honour (1965), his election
as President of the Royal Society (1965), the award of the Order of Merit (1967)
and his elevation to the peerage (1969).
Many of these letters contain material
of considerable biographical interest; they are not individually itemised in the list
below, but are presented in alphabetical order, and indexed.
The material is presented as follows:
A.]1
A.11
A.40
-
-
-
A.10
Obituaries and tributes
Biographical and bibliographical notes
A.39
Career and appointments
A.84
Honours and awards
Correspondence and letters of congratulation
With an introductory note
A.85
-
A.104
Scrolls, Certificates and Diplomas
A.105 -
A.106
Photographs and press-cuttings
P.M.S. Blackett
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13
Section A - Biographical and personal
Obituary notices and tributes.
Includes memorial notices by:
H.S.W. Massey, Physics Today, September 1974.
E.C. Bullard, Nature, August 1974.
C.H. Waddington, C. Goodeve, R. Tomlinson, Operational
Research Quarterly.
Sir Bernard Lovell, Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of The
Royal Society, 21, 1978, pp.1-115.
Annual report of Council, King's College, Cambridge, November 1974.
Biographical note of Blackett, pp.19-24.
3 pp. Typescript note by |.A. Richards for Magdalene College
Magazine.
Letter to Blackett from Richards, 17 October 1957, congratulating him
on his address to the British Association.
Year Book, Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1975, note by E.P. Hudson.
Memorial Meeting for Lord Blackett, Royal Society, 31 October 1974.
Reprint from Notes and Records, 29, 2, March 1975.
The Blackett Memorial Lecture delivered by Rt. Hon. H. Wilson at
Imperial College of Science and Technology, 3 December 1975,
on the occasion of the naming of the Blackett Laboratory.
'P.M.S. Blackett. Nobel Prize for Physics', 22 pp. photocopy of
paper by S. and V. De Benedetti, annotated by Blackett.
(An account of Blackett's life, mostly about early work leading to
award of Nobel Prize.)
Curricula vitae, prepared by Blackett and Lady Blackett at various dates.
Bibliographies, of various dates.
Biographical material for Who's Who, Debrett, Who's Who in America,
Modern Men of Science, etc., of various dates.
Material received from Lady Blackett, re Blackett's planned autobiography.
Includes his notes on his career (3 pp.), 'Various notes for autobiography’
(2 pp.), ‘Biographical notes to 1919' (5 pp.), ‘Extracts from diary kept
from 1914 to 1916' (10 pp.), ‘Interlude on Politics' (2 pp.), ‘German
scientists brought to England after the War', 1945 (1 p.), ‘Cosmic Ray
Conference Mexico 1961' on confiscation of passport (1 p.), etc.
included here is Lady Blackett's list of material still retained in family
hands.
Also
A.2
A.3
A.4
A.5
A.6
A.7
A.8
A.9
A.10
A.10A
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
14
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.1]
First World War
‘Naval Period':
with transcript of diary entries for 30 May - 1 June 1916.
script is incomplete, the last page reading 'Three weekslater|
resigned from the Navy and became an. .'
10 pp. typescript of autobiographical reminiscences,
The type-
Lady Blackett retains the daily diaries kept by Blackett of his war
service 1914-16.
See A.10Aonp.13.
2 pp. letter from Captain Lord Alastair Graham, 23 November 1967,
congratulating Blackett on the award of the O.M. and quoting from
the record which he kept of his cadets at Dartmouth.
For Blackett
he had entered: 'Games: does not shine.
Clever, quiet and nice.
and should turn out well.'
Remarks on character:
And in 4th term: Works and doeswell,
2 pp. letter from H.E. Piggott, 25 February 1957, with reminiscences
of Blackett's naval training, and his resignation from the Navy to take
up studies at Cambridge.
Moseley Research Fellowship
Photocopies of papers re Moseley Research Fellowship of the Royal
Society, awarded to Blackett for two years from 1 October 1923.
Application for Fellowship to study 'the passage of X-rays through
gases, particularly by the Wilson Condensation Method', 25 May
1923, with 2 pp. covering letter by Blackett to accompany the applica-
tion in which he explains that he would like 'to devote myself almost
exclusively to research for the next few years, but this will not be
possible on my Fellowship Cat King's] alone’.
Letter from Blackett, 11 March 1924, requesting permission to spend
academic year 1924-25 in Gottingen working with Franck ‘at a
problem concerning spectroscopy and electron impact, which has arisen
out of my work on the photography of alpha ray tracks’.
Note:
1924 about work in Géttingen, but no copy of this remains in the folder.
Lovell (Memoir, p.11) quotes an earlier letter of 27 February
The originals of these documents are at the Royal Society, London.
Letter from Rutherford to Jeans, 4 March 1924, giving permission for
Blackett to work in Géttingen.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
15
Section A - Biographical and personal
Gottingen
‘James Franck Memorial Volume’, typescript, 6 pp., of contribution
by Blackett who recalled his year in Géttingen (1924-25) and work
with Franck.
This note was prepared by Blackett for an edition by
Robert Platzman of the 'Selected Papers of James Franck’.
The collection of Franck's personal papers (which includes corres-
pondence and papers collected by Platzman) is located in the Joseph
Regenstein Library of the University of Chicago.
See also B.10 - B.12 for notebooks of research at Géttingen.
Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge
Photocopyof letter, 18 March 1924, from Cambridge
colleagues to Blackett who was on his honeymoon.
1924
'From the Club greetings - we feel that we have lost an electron
from our innermost ring .
‘Adiabatic Invariants': D.R. Hartree, K.G. Emeléus, J.E. Jones,
E.C. Stoner, H.W.B. Skinner, P. Kapitza, and unidentified.
Written and signed by the
.
.'
Letter of appointment as Demonstrator in Physics, Cambridge,
30 November 1927.
Letter from A.W. Smith, Physics Department, Ohio State
University, offering one-year sabbatical appointment to
Blackett.
come for a shorter period.
Ms. draft of Blackett's reply asking if he could
1927
1930
Birkbeck College, London
Press-cuttings describing 11-ton magnet built by Metropolitan
Vickers Electric Company, Manchester, for Blackett who had
it transported to London and installed in a wooden hut
(‘Magnet House’) for use by his Birkbeck team.
1934
Drawing of ‘Approx. Arrgt. of magnet and fan’ in another
hand with some notes on dimensions added by Blackett.
1934
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Section A - Biographical and personal
Second World War
(see also Section D)
Letter from Air Ministry, 5 May 1939, thanking Blackett
for his letter of 28 April accepting their invitation to serve
on the Committee for the Scientific Survey of Air Offence.
Correspondence re Blackett's exemption from regular fire-
watching duties.
16
1939
1942
Correspondencere Blackett's salary and appointment as
Chief Adviser onOperational Research, The Admiralty.
Blackett transferred from Coastal Command to the Admiralty
with effect from 10 December 1941 following his meeting with
the Admiralty's Scientific Research Advisory Committee, at which
he explained his methods of Operational Research (see Lovell,
Memoir, pp.60-61 and D.84).
1942
Allied Expeditionary Force Permit, N.W. Europe, 4-9 July
1944,
1944
Nobel Prize
Blackett was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1948 for
his development of the Wilson cloud chamber method and for
his discoveries in the field of nuclear physics and of cosmic
radiation.
Photocopy of cable notifying award of Prize.
Photocopy of Blackett's correspondence with Vice-Chancellor
of Manchester University requesting permission for leave of
absence to journey to Stockholm to accept award.
Cable of congratulation on Nobel Prize sent from Princeton from
Uhlenbeck, Einstein, Yukawa, Pais, von Laue, Placzek,
Oppenheimer, Beblen.
Letter of congratulation from C.T.R. Wilson, 7 November 1948.
Blackett replied: 'l was so delighted to get your letter of con-
gratulation.
chamber;
developstill further this powerful method’.
All my work has depended on your invention of the cloud
|
feel very happy to have been able to carry on and
See A.45-A.54 for messages of contratulation sent to Blackett
on the occasion of the Nobel Prize from friends and colleagues
all over the world.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
17
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.18-A.23
Imperial College of Science and Technology, London
In 1953 Blackett left Manchester to succeed G.P. Thomson as
Professor of Physics at Imperial College, London.
Correspondence about the Department, its staff, research
Note:
projects, academic and administrative matters, inherited by Blackett
from G.P. Thomson, is in the manuscript collection of G.P. Thomson
at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Autograph letter from Blackett
Correspondence re Blackett's appointment as Professor of
Physics at Imperial College.
to D. Brunt (11 September 1952) suggests that he (Blackett)
might not have beenthe first choice for this post.
Letter of
appointment and Blackett's letter of acceptance are missing.
(Blackett was writing from Istituto di Fisica, Rome.)
Folder
includes correspondence with D. Brunt, Sir Roderic Hill (Rector)
and the University of London Registrar.
1952
Important letter from Blackett to Rector, 29 December 1952,
summarising fields of research then covered at Imperial College
and Blackett's own wish 'to effect some considerable concentration
of effort so as to produce fewer and stronger groups', including
‘in the first instance’ Cosmic Rays and Paleomagnetism.
Very
substantial increase in finance is asked for.
Typescript 3 pp.
1952
A.20
A.2]
See also C.72, Blackett's application to D.S.1.R. for research
grants.
Patent Agreement between Blackett and J.D. McGee,
Imperial College, and N.R.D.C. re Electronic Image
Tubes, October 1955.
1955
Misc. short notes and correspondence re Blackett's service
at Imperial College:
1965-68
conferment of title of ‘Professor Emeritus of Physics’;
appointment to Senior Research Fellowship, October 1965 -
September 1968;
resignation from boards and committees on retirement from
the College;
election to Fellowship of the College;
renewal of appointment as Senior Research Fellow,
October 1968-September 1971.
1965
1965
1965
1967
1968
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
18
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.22
Misc. short notes and correspondence re Blackett's service
at Imperial College:
1970-74
renewal of appointment as Senior Research Fellow,
October 1971-September 1974;
notices of seminars, colloquia, etc.;
renewal of appointment as Senior Research Fellow until
September 1977.
197]
1974
A.23
Blackett's returns for the 'Rector's Bulletin' detailing his
activities, honours, outside lectures, etc.
1965-67
Blackett's Physics Departmental Expense account sheets.
1970-73
See also C.186.
A.24
Correspondence re academic posts in Cambridge, 1953-66.
Correspondence with Sir James Chadwick, June-July 1953
re Cavendish Chair.
has the original) of Blackett's copy of his autograph reply.
Includes photocopy (Lady Blackett
Correspondence with Richard Kahn (now Lord Kahn),
September 1953, re Provostship of King's.
copy of Blackett's copy of his autograph reply.
Includes photo-
Letter from Sir James Gray, January 1966, re Provostship
of King's.
File also includes correspondence with Master of Magdalene
(Walter Hamilton) re College Appeal.
(See also correspondence with R.A. Lyttleton, B.142, re
Mastership of St. John's.)
1953
1953
1966
1971
A.25
Correspondence re Blackett's membership of official government
committees:
- Correspondence with Sir William Black and Rt. Hon.
1964
Douglas Jay re Blackett's resignation from National Research
DevelopmentCorporation following his appointment to the
Ministry of Technology.
See also E.48 - E.65.
- Correspondence with Sir Solly (now Lord) Zuckerman,
1969
December 1969, re extension of Blackett's service on Central
Advisory Councilfor Science and Technology.
A.25 continued
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
19
Section A - Biographical and personal
- Correspondence with F.S. (now Sir Frederick) Dainton
1970
re Blackett's membership of Council for Scientific Policy.
- Correspondence with Marquess of Lothian re Advisory
1970
Panel on Arms Control and Disarmament. Blackett
declined invitation to become a member.
A.26
Photocopies of letters of biographical interest. The originals
are held by Lady Blackett.
distributed to the appropriate folders (see A.11, A.14, A.17,
A.24, A.34).
Some other photocopies have been
Letter from H. Wright, 17 November 1932, congratulating
and thanking Blackett for his essay on 'The craft of experi-
mental physics' which was published in University Studies
(ed. H. Wright).
RS.25
Note of congratulation from J.J. Thomson, 3 March 1933.
With a later ms. note by Blackett ‘Positive electron or
election F.R.S.'
Letter from Alex Wood, 5 February 1935, with request that
Blackett should accept nomination as the Labour candidate
for Cambridge University.
Letter from Mrs. Sidney Webb, 2 May 1935, with request
that Blackett should read chapter on science in ‘our forth-
coming book' on Soviet Communism, before publication.
Postcard sent from Copenhagen, 21 June 1936, with message
from Niels Bohr 'We have all missed you very much but hope
to see you among us next time'; with numerous signatures of
those attending.
(Signatures not itemised.)
Correspondence with General Sir Frederick Pile, March
1945.
Magician'.
Pile addresses his letter to Blackett ‘My dear
2 letters from Henry Kissinger.
Signed farewell letter on Blackett's retirement as first
Chairman, Research Grants Committee, Department of
Scientific and Industrial Research.
(Signatures not itemised. )
Letters from B. Katz and D.C. Phillips, November-
December 1970 following Blackett's Presidency of the Royal
Society.
1932
1933
1935
1935
1936
1945
1959
1960
1970
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
20
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.27
Correspondencere Blackett's ancestors and family.
1953, 1963-72
Small pocket notebook, labelled on front ‘Martha 1931':
log of June-July sailing off S. coast of England.
Correspondence re cataloguing and permanent deposit of
Blackett's personal papers.
Correspondence with J. Epstein re his bronze sculpture
of Blackett's head.
Later correspondence with Lady
Epstein re Blackett's O.M. and re insurance value for
bronze head.
Correspondencere portraits of Blackett commissioned by
Manchester University and Imperial College.
were painted by Claude Rogers.
The portraits
Misc. correspondence re portraits and photographs of
Blackett.
1931
1972
1950-52
1967
1963-67
A.28
A.29
A.30
A.3]
A.32
Interviews
A.33
A.34
2 pp. typescript of interview with Blackett re Ministry of
Technology, 11 February 1974.
Blackett.
Heavily annotated by
1974
14 pp. typescript of interview by Brian Connell from Anglia
T.V.
tape of this interview.
The National Film Archive, London, has a copy of the
1971
See also J.117.
Press-cuttings re Blackett.
1962, 1967-71
Copy of resolution adopted by Senate and Council,
Manchester University, 1953, of appreciation of Blackett's
services to the University as Longworthy Professor of Physics
1937-53, Dean of the Faculty of Science 1948-50, member
of Council 1949-52 and Pro-Vice-Chancellor 1950-52.
Typescript copy of ms. letter from Blackett to Vice-
Chancellor of Manchester, 12 April 1952, giving his reasons
for not attending Cathedral Centenary Service.
Attached
is an extract from The Owens College: its Foundation and
Growth.
(Includes photocopy of Blackett's autograph letter.)
1953
1952
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
21
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.35
Requests for historical/biographical information. With the
exception of the last item, all of Blackett's replies are very
brief.
1970-72
1.
2.
3.
4.
5;
6.
7.
8.
9.
with R.L. Weber re Jocular Physics.
with R.S. Shankland re his introduction to the collected
papers of A.H. Compton.
with W. Archibald re Allen House.
with editors of Sunday Times re profile of Lord Snow
and re World War II bombing offensive.
with N. Cameron re the involvement of British
scientists in World War II.
from J.G. Crowther re his book on the Cavendish
Laboratory.
with M.M. Gowing re her book Independence and
Deterrence.
with M.J. Williams re operational research.
with B.H. Muller re his proposed biography of
Leo Szilard.
10.
with W. Sullivan re the theory of continental drift.
Blackett sent 2 pp. of typescript notes on the
development of his scientific interests.
See also J.97.
A.36-A.39
Miscellaneous shorter personal correspondence presented in date
order.
A.36
1955, 1960-61
Letter from Trans-Canadian Air Lines re circumstances of
Blackett's arrest in Tampa, Florida, when his flight from
Mexico was obliged to stop for refuelling.
1955
Correspondence with American Embassy, London, re obtaining
Blackett's 1960 visit
visas for visits to the US 1960 and 1961.
was under the auspices of the Ford Foundation; the 1961 visit
was to attend M.|.T.'s Centenary Celebrations (see also
G.100, G.101).
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
22
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.37
1964-68
Includes correspondence re annual gathering of Nobel Prize
Winners in Lindau, notification of Blackett's election as
ex officio Member of the General Committee of the
Athenaeum under Rule XX (with congratulatory poem from
C.W. Wardlaw), letter and card from |.A. Richards, and
letter of thanks from Lord Fleck following Blackett's 70th
birthday celebrations.
A. 38
1971-72
Includes congratulatory messages on Blackett's 75th birthday,
Hon. Membership of Fabian Society.
A.39
1973-74
Includes Blackett's correspondence with his secretary at
Imperial College re departmental celebrations of election
of H. Elliot to the Royal Society.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
23
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.40-A.44
Correspondence and papers re honours received by Blackett.
Presented in date order.
See A.45-A.83 for letters of congratulation and A.85-A. 104
for diplomas, certificates and scrolls.
A.40
1942-60
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Letter from 10 Downing Street requesting permission
to confer C.B.E.
Blackett declined the honour.
Includes photocopy of Blackett's ms. reply and of
typescript copy of letter from Prime Minister's
office.
Honorary Membership, Chinese Physical Society.
Correspondence with Chinese Embassy, 1945.
1942
1943
Hon. Sc.D. Cambridge.
Orator.
Copy of speeches by the
1954
Honorary Membership of South African Institute of
Mining and Metallurgy.
notifying election.
Letter from Secretary
Hon. LL.D. Dalhousie University, Halifax.
Programme (Blackett delivered the address to the
Convocation).
1957
1960
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
24
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.4l
1961-65
Ts
Foreign Honorary Membership, American Academy
of Arts and Sciences. Correspondence with secretary.
196]
Hon. D.Sc. Manchester.
Orator.
Speech by the Public
1962
A.42
1966
Hon. D.Sc. Durham.
Orator.
Speeches by the Public
Hon. D.Sc. Oxford.
Letter from Registrar.
Bimala Churn Law Gold Medal, Indian Association
for the Cultivation of Science.
Director.
Correspondence with
Foreign Membership, Accademia Nazionale dei
Lincei, Rome.
Hon. D.Sc. Bristol. Speech by the Public Orator,
A.R. Collar.
Hon. D.Sc. London. Correspondence with Vice-
Chancellor.
Hon. D.Sc. Hull.
Chancellor.
Correspondence with Vice-
Foreign Member, Soviet Academy of Sciences. Later
correspondenceand invitations to Blackett to visit
USSR as guest of Academy (1969-70).
Foreign Associate, National Academy of
Sciences, Washington D.C.
Honorary Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Correspondence with secretary (N. Feather).
1962
1963
1963
1965
1966
1966
1966
1966
1966
1966
Honorary Member, Institute of Metals.
secretary notifying election.
Letter from
1966
Hon. D.Sc. York.
Chancellor (1965).
Correspondence with the Vice-
1966
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Section A - Biographical and personal
A. 43
1967-68
Le
2.
3.
4,
a.
6.
Honorary Member, Institution of Civil Engineers.
Clipping from Bulletin.
Honorary Member, International Academy of Astro-
nautics, Paris.
Honorary Fellow, Washington Academyof Sciences.
Order of Merit.
Letter from Buckingham Palace.
Honorary Fellow, National Institute of Sciences of
India.
Hon. D.Sc. University of Chicago. Correspondence
with the President.
A.44
1969-71
1.
2.
3.
4,
Rabindranath Tagore Birth Centenary Plaque,
Asiatic Society.
Order of the Eagle of Aztec, Mexico.
Fellow of Birkbeck College, London.
Hon. D.Sc. Cranfield Institute of Technology.
25
1967
1967
1967
1967
1968
1968
1969
1970
1970
197]
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
26
A.45-A.83
Section A - Biographical and personal
Letters, cables and telegrams of congratulation received by
Blackett on the award of the Nobel Prize (1948), Copley
Medal (1956), Companionship of Honour (1965), Order of
Merit (1967), his election as President of the Royal Society
(1965) and his elevation to the peerage (1969).
Many of the letters are of interest for their biographical
or historical reminiscences, discussions of scientific work,
references to political activities or to social causes.
The letters on the Nobel Prize were kept by Blackett in an
alphabetically indexed box file.
to folders but retain Blackett's original ordering.
These have been removed
The letters on the Companionship of Honour, the Presidency
of the Royal Society and the Order of Merit were kept in
three large bulky files.
Each file has been split into nine
smaller, alphabetically-arranged folders for ease of refer-
ence.
bodies are generally filed under the name of the organisation.
Letters of congratulation on behalf of corporate
If Blackett sent a typescript acknowledgement, the carbon
is dttached to the letter.
generated by the award of the Nobel Prize was answered
in this manner, but letters re the later awards were answered
by hand.
Most of the correspondence
-
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
27
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.45-A.54
Nobel Prize
1948
Many of these letters refer to and comment on Blackett's
newly-published book ‘Military and political consequences
of atomic energy’.
See also H.29 - H.41.
A.45
A.46
A.47
A.48
A.49
A.50
A.51
A.52
A.53
A.54
A
C
E
|
-
-
-
H
-
M -
O -
R
T
-
-
W -
OD
L
N
Q
§
V
Z
Mae
Copley Medal of The Royal Society (one folder only).
A.56-A.64
Companion of Honour
1956
1965
Congratulatory messages arranged alphabetically.
A.56
A.57
A.58
A.59
A.60
A.61
A.62
A.63
A.64
A
Oo
-
=
G-.
J
=
M -
P
S
-
-
C
F
|
|
O
R
V
w= Z£
Unidentified correspondents and first
name signatures
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.65-A.73
President of the Royal Society
Congratulatory messages arranged alphabetically.
28
1965
A.65
A.66
A.67
A.68
A.69
A.70
A.71
A.72
A.73
A
D
-
=
G -
id
-
M -
P
>
WwW
=
=
-
C
-F
|
&
O
R
¥
Z
Unidentified correspondents and first
name signatures.
A.74-A.82
Order of Merit
1967
Congratulatory messages arranged alphabetically.
A.74
A.75
A.76
A.77
A.78
A.79
A.80
A.81
A.82
A
D
-
=
C
F
G- |
J
=
M -
P
5
-
=
W -
L
O
R
WV
Z
Unidentified correspondents and first
name signatures
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
29
Section A -
Biographical and personal
A.83-A.84
Life Peerage
A.83
A.84
Blackett's Life Peerage was announced in the New Year's Honours
List, 1969.
November 1968 (J.110) in which Blackett accepts the recom-
mendation for a Life Peerage.
See the correspondence with Harold Wilson,
Letters of congratulation.
1969
Correspondence and papers re arrangements for Blackett's
introduction to the House of Lords, 19 February 1969.
Blackett was sponsored by Lord Chalfont and Lord Snow.
See H.146-H.149 for papers relating to Blackett's Maiden
Speech in the Lords, 4 March 1970.
A.85-A.
104
Scrolls, certificates and diplomas
Lady Blackett retains some of Blackett's personal medals and
certificates.
commemorative medals to the Museum of the History of Science,
Oxford, in June 1975.
She gave his collection of scientific
Not in folders.
Certificate of Honorary Membership, Chinese Physical
Society.
Hon. D.Sc. University of Delhi.
Hon. D.Sc. Queen's University of Belfast.
Honorary Fellowship, Weizmann Institute of Science.
Honorary Associate, Royal College of Science, Imperial
College.
Hon. LL.D. University of Dalhousie.
Foreign Honorary Member, American Academy of Arts
and Sciences (2 certificates).
Hon. D.Sc. University of Manchester.
Hon. D.Sc. University of Leeds.
Hon. D.Sc. University of Durham.
Hon. D.Sc. University of Oxford.
A.85
A.86
A.87
A.88
A.89
A.90
A.91
A.92
A.93
A.94
A.95
A.%6
1943
1947
1953
1954
1958
1960
196]
1962
1962
1962
1963
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.97
A.98
A.99
A. 100
A.101
A.102
A.103
A.104
List of Members of the Order of the Companion of Honour.
Hon. D.Sc. University of York.
Foreign Associate, National Academy of Sciences,
Washington D.C.
Honorary Fellowship, Washington Academy of Sciences.
Order of Merit: Statutes, Grant of the Dignity of a Member
of the Order of Merit, List of Members.
Honorary Membership of Academia Brasileira de Ciécias.
Writ
of Summons to House of Lords.
Hon. D.Sc. University of Chicago.
Speech at presentation for the degree.
Diploma, Photograph,
30
1965
1966
1966
1966
1968
1968
1969
1969
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Section A - Biographical and personal
A.105-A.106 Photographs and press-cuttings.
A.105
One box of personal photographs. Some of the loose photo-
graphs are dated and identified on verso.
Includes:
Osborne (1911) and Dartmouth
Magdalene College, Cambridge (1919)
Cambridge University Natural Sciences Club (1921)
Cavendish Laboratory (1922)
Rome conference (1931)
with Occhialini (1933)
Manchester University (several photographs 1946-53)
UNESCO Cosmic Ray conference, Crackow (1947)
Photograph of portrait sketch by Homi Bhahba (1953)
Conference at Bagnéres-de-Bigorre (1953)
Lindau meeting of Nobel Prize winners (1956)
British Association meeting, Dublin (1957)
Ghana (1959)
Leeds (1962)
Commemoration meeting for Niels Bohr, Copenhagen (1963)
Imperial College, Physics Department (1964)
Royal Society (1965)
Exeter (1966)
Royal Society visit to US Academy of Sciences (1966)
Royal Society Delegation to Indian Science Academy (1971).
also album below.
3]
See
Misc. studio portrait photographs of various dates
Album of photographsofvisit to India, December 1954-January 1955
Album of photographs of Royal Society Delegation to Indian Science
Academy, Lucknow (1971)
Album of photographs of Blackett's visit to BP Research Centre,
Sudbury-on-Thames (1966)
A. 106
One box of press-cuttings relating to Blackett and his activities,
or to topics which were of interest to him.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
32
SECTION B_
PARTICLE DISINTEGRATION, COSMIC RAYS, ASTROPHYSICS
B.1 - B.145
The material in this Section documents the first steps in Blackett's scientific
career - his work at the Cavendish Laboratory under Rutherford, his year in
Géttingen with Franck, his move to Birkbeck College, London, in 1933 to head
his own department, and then to Manchester to occupy the Langworthy Chair of
Physics.
He photographed the disintegration of the hydrogen nucleus (1924),
collaborated with Occhialini to provide evidence for the existence of the positive
electron (1933) and supported the research of Rochester and Butler which led to
the discovery of the V-particles (1947).
Not all of the evidence has survived -
whether in the form of laboratory notebooks, working papers or correspondence -
but those documents which remain testify to Blackett's energy, persistence and deft
experimental technique.
Section A should be consulted for several items of interest pertaining to
Blackett's work on particle disintegration and cosmic rays - see especially his
application to the Royal Society for a Moseley Fellowship (A.12), press-cuttings
relating to the electro-magnet built by Metropolitan-Vickers for Blackett and
installed in the Magnet Hut at Birkbeck (A.15), letters of congratulation on the
award of the Nobel Prize, many of which recall Blackett's work which led to the
award, and of course the obituary notices and tributes published after his death.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
33
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
The material is presented as follows:
B.1
-
B.21
Laboratory notebooks on particle disintegration,
1920-32
With an introductory note
B.22 -
B.61
Working notes and papers on particle disintegration
and cosmic rays, 1923-56
With an introductory note
B.62 -
B.67
Photographs of particle disintegration and cosmic rays
B.68 -
B.74
Working notes on theories of the origin of cosmic
rays, 1949-55
B.75 -
8.83
Working notes on astrophysics, 1953-59
B.84 -
B.13]1
Lectures, broadcasts, publications, 1932-60
With an introductory note
B.132-
B.147
Correspondence, 1923-74
With an introductory note
Because Blackett's research evolved from one topic to another, interest in
each being aroused and developed by previous work, the above categories are not
rigidly defined and are intended to provide only a rough guide to contents.
Even if it were possible to distinguish areas of interest morestrictly, Blackett's
record-keeping would make inevitable some degree of overlap, since he often
intermingled various types of document to suit his purposes, e.g. pages were
torn from laboratory notebooks and kept with the working papers, photographs
and notes for lectures were inserted in notebooks, etc.
Wherever possible, the
presence of ‘anomalous! material of this kind is indicated in the entries below.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
34
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.1-B.21
LABORATORY NOTEBOOKS1920-32
The notebooks are presented in chronological order as far as possible.
They are all in Blackett's hand, unless otherwise indicated; other hands are
identified where known.
The notebooks provide a record of Blackett's first research at the Cavendish
Laboratory under Rutherford (B.2 - B.4), his year at Géttingen with Franck
(B.10 - B.12) and his collaborative work with research students E.P. Hudson (B.13),
F.C. Champion (B.17 - B.18) and D.S. Lees (B.15, B.19 - B.20) in Cambridge.
Several incomplete sequences (B.5 - B.6, B.17 - B.18) indicate that
some notebooks have not survived.
Sometimes pages have been torn from the
notebooks and kept with the working notes.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.1
Small notebook labelled on cover ‘Royal Naval College,
Dartmouth.
Blackett’.
Blackett' and inside front cover ‘Hawke Term.
The first pages in the notebook (which presumably were work
done at Dartmouth) have been cut from the book so that the
first entry now reads: 'Aston.
apparatus", May 1920', 17 pp. of notes and drawings on
methods and materials.
"The Technique of vacuum
Second entry is 2 pp. of notes titled ‘Experimental Hints’.
In the middle of the book are 3 pp. of notes titled ‘Possible
Experiments'.
(Blackett has listed 11.)
35
1920
1920
nd,
n.d.
At the end of the book, 2 pp. of miscellaneous calculations.
fist.
B.2
Blue notebook labelled on cover 'A' and on inside front
cover ‘Book A.
If found please return to above address’.
P.M.S. Blackett. Magdalene College.
1921-22
2 pp. of drawings titled ‘Dimensions of Expansion Chamber’.
Then follow a few entries for July 1921 and a long sequence
(pp. 1-115) of notes from 11 October 1921 to 2 June 1922.
(and the following notebook, B.3) is a record of Blackett's
first research at the Cavendish Laboratory (see Lovell, Memoir,
pp.6-7).
contains journal-like entries describing laboratory techniques,
modifications to apparatus (see Lovell, Memoir, p.6), quality
of photographs, numerical data and measurements, calculations,
hypotheses, sketches of apparatus.
B.3 isa catalogue of photographs while B.2
This
Several pages of undated notes:
‘Coil for Kapitza' (p.116),
‘Enlarging on to Imperial Process Plates’ (p.117), 'Magneto-
meter’
(p.120).
,
Next sequence of dated entries begins on 3 October 1922 to
(approximately) 2 November: record of photographs, measure-
ments of angles, calculations, modifications of apparatus, notes
on the literature, bibliography.
The notebook also contains 2 pp. of notes on bird migration.
The first lecture which Blackett ever gave was to the University
Physics Undergraduate Society on the subject of bird migration.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
36
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.3
Green notebook labelled on cover 'B' and onfirst page ‘Book B. 1921-22
Catalogue of X-ray photographs November 1921. P.M.S.
Blackett, Magdalene College.
address.
If found Please return to above
The first few pages of the notebook (pages are not numbered)
contain record of 28 photographs. This is followed by a
‘Catalogue of interesting tracks, etc.' (6 pp.) and ‘notes
on general appearance offilms' (4 pp.).
This is a catalogue of Blackett's
See
The notebook then contains a 139 pp. series of detailed
analyses of photographs.
first research work at the Cavendish under Rutherford.
Lovell, Memoir, pp.6-7, which describes Blackett's modifications
to the apparatus and two series of experiments. The record of
experiments with a mixture of 75% argon + 15% nitrogen ends
on p.75.
On pp.9-10 there are calculations in another hand,
probably Rutherford's.
RSs 1.
B.4
Blue notebook labelled on first page 'P.M.S. Blackett.
Magdalene College.
Book A’.
1921-22
Event by event analysis of tracks recorded in B.2 and B.3,
analysis of results and of graphs.
Notes of tracks with recoil atoms, of air tracks, reduction of
helium tracks in ‘Book B' (B.3), test angles, range and velocity
of hydrogen atoms, argon tracks, curled helium tracks.
One entry is dated 16 January 1923 'measurement of argon
tracks’.
On p.74 there is a note in another hand (probably Rutherford's)
commenting on Blackett's calculations of comparative
curvature of hydrogen, helium and air.
crossed out and replaced by ‘quite all right’.
‘All wrong’ has been
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
Small pocket notebook labelled on cover 'B' and onfirst
page 'P.M.S. Blackett.
found'.
1923.)
Please return if
(Blackett was elected to a Fellowship at King's in
King's College.
B.5
B.6
B.7
37
1923-24
Entries begin with 29 October (1923) and continue to 11 July
(1924).
lations.
apparatus which were crossed out as they were corrected.
Record of photographs, with relevant data and calcu-
There are several lists of 'defects' or 'faults' in the
From other end of book entries begin with 2 November 1923 and
continue to 21 May 1924.
of technique, measurements, list of ‘conclusions’ and ‘suggestions’.
All are concerned with work using cloud chamber to photograph
disintegration of the nucleus.
Notes on procedure, modifications
1924
1924, 1927,
1929, 1930-32
Small pocket notebook labelled on cover 'C' and onfirst
page 'P.M.S. Blackett.
found’.
King's College.
Please return if
Contains annotated bibliography, arranged by subject:
impact, disintegration, isotopes, instruments, gases, alpha
rays, spectroscope detection of nitrogen, neon, boiling points,
electrochemical equivalents, emanating power, radio thorium,
amongothers.
electron
Followed by notes on experimental data, May-October (1924) in
conjunction with notes in B.5.
2 pp. of notes for possible papers.
N.B.
B.4 is not the 'Book A' of this sequence.
Small black pocket notebook labelled on first page 'P.M.S.
Blackett.
Please return if found’.
King's College.
Entries begin on 1 August 1924 and continue to 29 October.
Record of film, description of adjustments to apparatus and of
results, list of 'defects'.
One page of notes dated June 1927, January 1929 and February
1929.
Next set of entries begins on 9 January 1930 and continues to
24 January 1932.
B.18).
Some notes in F. Champion's hand (see also
At end of book there is a page of ‘Notes on apparatus collected
from notebooks’.
P.S.M. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
38
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.8
Notebook labelled on first page 'P.M.S. Blackett.
College.
If found please return’.
King's
1924, 1926
Numerous photographs of particle disintegration tracks are
pasted in the notebook, with a record of measurements.
a few of the entries (9 July, 23 August, 2 November 1924)
are dated.
Only
At the end of the book there is an entry for 9 June 1926.
Inserted at the back of the book were several sets of loose
notes which have been removed and listed separately as B.9.
B.7
Loose notes found in back of B.8:
le
2
3.
‘Calculation of angles in space from measurements
of track photographs.
9 pp. written on verso of petrol claim forms in another
hand.
Lees' method’.
Theory.
‘Measurement of &-track photographs and Calculations
of the angles of a fork.
4 pp. in another hand.
Blackett's method’.
‘Geometrical Theory' m.s. draft, 10 pp. in
Blackett's hand.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
39
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.10-B.12
Work at Gottingen, 1924-25
Blackett spent the academic year 1924-25 working in Géttingen with
James Franck.
spectra of hydrogen by electron impact (R.S.5.).
notebooks document that period.
This work led to a joint paper on the excitation of the
The following three
B10
Small black notebook.
cover.
Gé8ttingen stationer's stamp on inside back
Notebook contains long bibliography of articles and extensive
notes on the literature, cross-referenced to the bibliography.
The notebook is indexed on the inside front and back covers.
1924-25
From the other end of the book there are notes on photographs,
calculations, and other laboratory work, plus an account of
expenses, December 1924-January 1925.
B.1]
Small black notebook.
and calculations, variously titled 'Macleod', 'glass fibres’,
'Platinum', ‘Gravitational control and elastic control',
'Theory', etc.
The first 15 pp. contain misc. notes
1925
These are followed by a series of records beginning on 22 January
(1925) and continuing to 27 June. The last entry is a note on
'G.21'. This series is contained in B.12.
From the other end of the book there are several pages of notes
on measurements of photographs of 'He, Hg, Hyd.'.
Small black notebook.
cover.
Gdttingen stationer's stamp on inside
Onthe first page there is a list of 'screens'. The entries begin
on 1 July and continue to 3 August.
The entry for 1 July contains notes on 'G.22.
'G.23.
which indicate that this notebook is a continuation of the record
of work begun in B.11 on the hydrogen molecule.
Test of focus', 'G.24. Test of intensity’, etc.,
Test of screens’,
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
40
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
Red notebook labelled on cover 'Phos.'
photographs of X-particles, probably for work in collaboration
with E.P. Hudson on ‘The elasticity of the collision of
%- particles with hydrogen nucleii' (R.S.7.).
Contains numerous
1926-27
A 2 pp. ms. letter from Blackett to Hudson, 13 April 1926,
is loosely inserted at the back of the book.
The notebook also contains 2 loose pp. of notes on 'New
linear radiation formula', and 3 sets of photographs of cosmic
On the verso of one set is a Leningraa address,
radiation.
indicating that perhaps Blackett was given these photographs
by a colleague.
Black notebook inscribed on first page 'P.M.S. Blackett.
Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge.
1925'.
(The date is added in pencil.)
Please return if found.
1925-26,
1927
Entries begin on 22 October (1925) and continue to 27 August
(1926), with one additional entry for 17 January (?1927).
Record of experiments with automatic cloud chamber and
list of photographs with measure-
mechanical oscillograph:
ments and descriptions of results, sketches of apparatus and
modifications.
Various notes titled ‘Illumination data', 'Vibration of
Piston', ‘Degree of approximation', ‘Period of Vibration of
Piston', ‘Possible remedies’ (all recorded in October).
Some notes on the literature.
Many calculations.
Not all of the entries are in Blackett's hand.
Small brown notebook labelled on cover 'P.M.S. Blackett.
Book C'.
1926-27
Entries begin in December 1926 and continue to August 1927,
with one note for 'November 1927.
D.S.L.' (D.S. Lees).
Contains sketches of apparatus, calculations, notes on
modifications to apparatus, notes on lens, methods. Many
are concerned with the design and use of double camera.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Al
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.16
Small blue pocket notebook labelled on first page ‘Electron
scattering by wire.
July 1927'.
1927
Contains sketches of apparatus, numerous calculations and
measurements, notes of points to investigate.
From other end of book, 'P.M.S. Blackett. April 1918'. Pages
have been cut from book.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
42
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.17-B.18
Work with F.C. Champion
Notebooks related to Blackett's work with F.C. Champion on the
collision of slow A-particles with helium which resulted in the publication
of a joint paper (R.S.15.).
Book B of this sequenceis missing.
N.B.
B.17
Large ledger labelled on cover 'P.M.S. Blackett. The
Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, A', with list of rolls
of film.
1929
Entries begin in January 1929.
of collision of &-particle tracks with helium.
Careful, event by event analysis
Numerous closely-written pages of measurements, calculations,
summaries of results.
Pp. 55-59, ‘Collision of H particles with gas atoms’.
B.18
Ledger labelled on cover 'F. Clive Champion. Cavendish
-Helium Collisions, 1930', and 'Book C'
Laboratory.
(in Blackett's hand).
Inside the front cover are Blackett's
notes on angles and arrangement of film.
1930
Careful, detailed analyses, event by event, of X-Helium
collisions (photograph record, measurements, calculations).
Most of the notes are in 2 unidentified hands (although
presumably one is Champion's) with misc. shorter notes by
Blackett throughout.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
43
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.19-B.20
Work with D.S. Lees
Notebooks related to Blackett's work with D.S. Lees on range-
velocity relationships for hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and argon atoms.
(R.$.16.)
B.19
Large ledger labelled on the cover 'Collected Tables of
Results. Argon.
Hydrogen’.
Oxygen.
1929, 1931
Contains log of results (event by event) of scatterings of
&-particles in cloud chamber gases.
re-examined or of special interest', ‘of photos cut out by
Lees’.
List of ‘photos to be
Entries and calculations in both Blackett's and Lees's hand.
All of the entries that are dated are for April 1929, with the
exception of the last which is a brief note ‘July 15, 1931.
All Argon Films looked thro: for A coil’.
B.20
Large ledger labelled on the cover 'Nitrogen', containing
comments on photographs taken in cloud chamber and a log
of scanning and measuring.
hands, and another unidentified script.
Entries in Blackett's and Lees's
1930-31
None of the entries are dated but there is a note by Blackett
on the first page dated June 1931.
B.21
Small red pocket notebook labelled on first page 'P.M.S.
Blackett.
Please return if found’.
The Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge.
130 pp.
A.
1932
Entries begin on 9 February 1932 and continue to 22 June
(1932);
dated 11 and 12 July.
the entries for 11 and 12 June are erroneously
Record of laboratory techniques for work on lighting, photo-
graphy, expansion condition, Wilson Cloud Chamber, drop
sizes.
Lists of alterations to apparatus.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
44
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.22B.61
WORKING NOTES ON PARTICLE DISINTEGRATION AND
COSMIC RAYS 1923-56
Blackett's folders of working notes and papers are of a very miscellaneous
composition.
An attempt has been madein the list below to present them in chrono-
logical order, but since many of the folders contain a wide range of material of
differing dates, this ordering is of necessity somewhat artificial and incomplete.
Some originally very bulky folders have been split into several smaller
folders for ease of reference, e.g. B.22 - B.25, B.35 - B.37; in some cases, manu-
scripts and drafts for lectures have been removed and listed sepaarately (see the
introductory note to B.84 - B.131).
Some of the papers refer to measurements and observations recorded in
laboratory notebooks.
It has not been practicable to cross-reference such cases
to the notebooks listed above (B.1 - B.21), since many of Blackett's notes refer
to books which are missing from the sequence.
Some of the notes are written on the verso of examination scripts, others
are on specially devised forms for the recording of data.
and in Blackett's hand unless otherwise indicated; other hands are identified where
All| notes are manuscript,
known.
All correspondence found with these working notes has been left in the
folders, itemised and indexed (see the introductory note to B.132 - B.147).
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
One folder labelled on cover ‘Curved Tracks.
The contents have been extracted and listed separately
below.
The original folder is kept with B.22.
Results’.
45
1923-30
B.22-B.25
B22
B.23
B.24
‘The Curvature of the Tracks'.
page is annotated by Blackett ‘Fellowship Thesis.
This is presumably Section 8 of that thesis.
Ord were elected to Fellowships at King's in 1923.
10 pp. typescript.
First
1923
King's, 1923'.
Blackett and Boris
25 pp. ms. draft of paper (untitled) on curvature of forked
tracks produced by collision of alpha particles with free
protons.
Probably draft of R.S.3.
‘Curved Proton Tracks. Copenhagen, September 1930'.
4 pp. ms. notes for talk in Copenhagen.
letter to Bohr, 18 September 1930,re this visit (B. 133).
See Blackett's
B.25
Misc. pages of notes, diagrams, graphs.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
4b
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.26-B.30
Work with D.S. Lees
Working notes relating to Blackett's work with D.S. Lees on range and
velocity of recoil atoms (R.S.16) and on particle disintegration.
Bs 26.
«,
Folder labelled on cover 'Fast Hydrogen and Test Tracks’.
1930-31
Numerous tabular summaries of data, with accompanying
graphs and calculations, titled 'Hydrogen, Unequal Errors’,
'Hydrogen Equal Errors', ‘Fast Hydrogen Collision’, ‘Error
Distribution of measured masses, alpha-particle-hydrogen',
'O & N collisions’.
Some of the results are entered on specially prepared forms,
others are written on the verso of examination scripts.
Not all are in Blackett's hand.
'Check' or 'remeasure’.
Many bear the notation
B.27
Folder labelled on front 'Trigonometrical Calculations on
Forked Tracks’.
1930-31
Numerous sheets of calculations and recordings of data (many
are on the specially prepared forms as in B.26).
Some notes onthe literature.
Air', ‘Argon recoil atoms', etc.
Graphs.
Notes titled ‘Range of argon atoms', ‘Range and Velocity
Nitrogen|
Oxygen
Much of the data is taken from the measurements and recordings
entered in the laboratory notebooks.
are dated are for 1930 and 1931 but many of the papers may date
from a much earlier period of research.
The only entries that
B.28
Folder labelled ‘Disintegration Tracks.
Measurements’.
1930-31
Numerous sets of calculations and recordings of data. The
only ones which are dated are those which are on the specially
prepared forms;
B.26 and B.27.
these are for 1930 and 1931 as are those in
47
1931
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.29
Folder labelled 'Paper |.
Notes on Mass Defects'.
and address (King's College, Cambridge. Cavendish) and,
in Blackett's hand but at a later date, ‘Important.
Disintegration’.
Photography of Disintegration.
Cover is also labelled with name
Numerous graphs and charts.
Notes titled ‘Formation of O17', ‘Energy change at collision’,
‘Energy change in terms of measured quantities, 'Note on
mass defects', 'Transmutation Tracks’.
written on the verso of H. Elliot's examination scripts.
Some of the notes are
Includes 3 pp. typescript (pp.14-16 of a longer paper) 'The
possibility that oxygen disintegrates’ with letter from George
Gamow (10 June 1931, Copenhagen) commenting on the
draft and disagreeing with Blackett's conclusions.
bears Gamow's; annotations.
The draft
B.30
Folder labelled 'Curvature of Tracks.
Calculations’.
1930-32
Folder of very miscellaneous composition, including graphs,
tabular summaries of data, list of films, tables of ‘collected
results', notes on the literature, sketches of apparatus.
Notes titled 'Rough Analysis of H curvature', 'Curled
Tracks', ‘Register of tracks for which angles over 70° occur",
‘Curvature experiment’.
Many of the pages have been cut from laboratory notebooks;
other loose sheets refer to findings recorded in the notebooks.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
48
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.31
Folder labelled ‘Scattering of Light by Drops.
Webb’.
2 graphs by Blackett and identical 2 graphs in unidentified
hand (?Webb).
One graph shows ‘Photographic intensity
of drops in a cloud chamber at different angles with the
direction of the illuminating beam'.
B.32
Folder labelled ‘Condensation theory’.
1932-34
2 pp. outline of series of 11 lectures on the technique of the
cloud chamber.
Draft of first lecture 'Theory of drop formation' (6 pp.) with
supplementary notes. Some of the other notes in this folder
may also be drafts for lectures in the same series but this is
not certain.
Includes working papers, notes and calculations:
of rate of evaporation from flat surface’, ‘Size of drops in
alpha ray tracks', 'Variation of pressure with height' (10 pp.)
‘Estimate
B.33
Folder labelled ‘Breadth of Tracks’.
1933-34
Notes titled 'Distribution of track breadth', ‘Observed breadth
of tracks and time of expansion', ‘Distribution of track breadths
in time', 'Diffusion of ions’.
Notes on the literature.
Graphsand charts.
Calculations.
Includes letter from P.1. Dee (15 April 1934) commenting on
draft of a paper by Blackett, and letter from S. Goldstein
(10 December 1933) re calculations on diffusion problems.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
49
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.34
Folder labelled 'Zenith Angle Distribution and Air
Absorption Curve’.
1934-35
Numerous graphs and notes, many documenting results ob-
tained from experiment using geiger counter equipment
erected by D.H. Follett and J.D. Crawshaw in vacant part
of Holborn tube station tunnel, London.
Notes on the literature and on results of experiments conducted
by other research teams, including table of 'Vertical distribu-
tion of Cosmic Radiation at Jungfraujoch’.
Includes letter from Follett (17 February 1935) describing
results to date and one page undated note from Follett re
readings.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
50
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.35-B.39
B.35-B .37
Work on ‘Time Variations’
48
Correspondence, notes and drafts kept by Blackett in
folder labelled 'Time Variations.
have been split into 3 smaller folders:
Duperier'.
1940, 1946-
Contents
B.35
Ms. notes and drafts:
‘Temperature effect of mesons and decay electrons’ (4 pp.),
‘Meson decay' (1 p.), ‘Cosmic ray intensity and the July
1946 magnetic storm' (2 pp. typescript for talk), 'Florence
12.4.48.' (1 p.).
B.36
Letter from E.V. Appleton (20 February 1940) on ‘alter-
native explanation of the correlation of cosmic ray
diminution and magnetic storm’.
1940, 1946-
47
Letter from M.V. Wilkes (18 November 1946), re work of
Mailvaganam and of Pekeris.
Correspondence with P. Nicholson and V. Sarabhai, April-
August 1947, re the draft of their joint paper 'Semi-
diurnal variation of C.R. intensity’, with Blackett's notes
on the draft.
B.37
Includes summary of results obtained by
Correspondence exchanged with A. Duperier, February 1946
to October 1949.
Duperier, of observations made at Birkbeck, 4 pp. typescript
of 'The Height of Meson Formation' and 4 pp. typescript of
'The Latitude Effect and the Pressure-Level of Meson Forma-
tion' and several offprints of papers by Duperier.
1946-49
B.38
Folder labelled 'Time Variations' containing copies of
papers by research workers:
1952-54
ly
‘Calculation of Counting Rates and ShowerEnergies’,
4 pp. typescript, J.K. Crawshaw, with ms. annotations
by Blackett.
‘Cosmic rays and the magnetic field of the sun', 5 pp.
typescript by D.W.N. Dolbear and H. Elliot.
'Time Variations of Extensive Air Showers’, 7 pp. type-
script, probably by H. Elliot, with ms. annotations by
Blackett.
'A World-wide variation in the phase of the solar daily
variation in cosmic ray intensity', 4 pp. typescript, annotated
by Blackett and bearing his name and that of Elliot.
continued
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
51
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.38
(continued)
5.
6.
‘Experimental Arrangement', 1 p. ms. note, 2 graphs in
H. Elliot's hand.
‘Time Variations', 3 pp. typescript with 5 pp. graphs,
probably by H. Elliot c. 1954.
N.B.
listed separately.
See B.39.
Correspondence in this folder has been extracted and
Blackett's lecture 'Time Variations of Cosmic Rays' delivered
in Milan, January 1953, has been extracted and listed
separately.
See B.113.
B.39
Correspondence from H. Elliot, November 1952-February
1953, commenting on work by Ehmert, Clay, Dolbear and
re his own work.
1952-53
Correspondence with V. Sarabhai, April-May 1953, requesting
Blackett's and Elliot's comments on his manuscript.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
52
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B. 40
Folder labelled ‘Penetrating Showers’.
1947-49
2 pp. ms. note labelled ‘Cosmic Rays.
problems.
Oxford, March 1947’.
Important contemporary
'On the relative numbers of positive and negative ““ mesons
at sea-level’, 4 pp. typescript, possibly by J.G. Wilson |
c.1947.
Working notes, calculations and notes on the literature.
Blackett's lecture on ‘Cloud Chamber Studies of
N.B.
Penetrating Showers' delivered in Como, September 1949, has been
extracted and listed separately.
See B.104.
R.S.63.
B. 41
Folder labelled 'APPs' (Associated Penetrating Particles).
1950-53
‘Notes on Differential Range Measurements of Hard Component
of Cosmic Rays in Water', typescript and graphs by A.J. Dyer.
'A Cloud Chamber Study of Associated Penetrating Particles
at Sea-Level', typescript of paper by V. Appapillai, A.W.
Mailvaganam and A.W. Wolfendale.
Misc. notes by Blackett and related offprints.
Correspondence from H. J.J. Braddick (26 November 1952)
enclosing note by A.W. Wolfendale on ‘Effect of Knock-on
Electrons on APP Results' and later letter (14 March 1953)
commenting on ‘Colombo draft'. See also B.49, B.109.
Correspondence from A.W. Wolfendale (June-December 1953)
enclosing copies of his letters to V. Appapillai.
N.B.
Draft of Blackett's lecture ‘Fundamental Particles
of Nature! delivered in Colombo has been extracted and
listed separately.
See B.1U9.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
53
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.42-B.55
Work on V-particles
In 1946-47 G.D. Rochester and C.C. Butler, working with Blackett
in Manchester, obtained the first photographs of V-particles.
Their results
were published in Nature, 160, 855.
In 1949 the cloud chamber and
magnet which Rochester and Butler had used to obtain their photographs
was moved from Manchester to the Observatory on the Pic du Midi in the
hope of photographing new tracks (see letters to Carl Anderson, 5 December
1949 and 26 April 1950, in B. 48).
B.42-B.46 contain the initial correspondence:
between Butler and Rusch re
between Blackett
and J. R&dsch of the Observatory (with the intermediary help
of G. Occhialini) re the possibility, practicalities and
funding of such a transfer;
details of installation;
collaboration between French and British scientists;
pondencere results obtained, with special reference to the
possibilitythat one of the disintegration products of V-particles
is a proton (see letter from R.E. Peierls, 26 April 1951 in
B.45), photographs, plan, funding estimates;
and M.F. Perutz re Pic du Midi conference planned for
August 1950.
between Blackett and P. Augerre
corres-
with J. Clay
ae
See Lovell, Memoir, pp.35-36.
For lectures by Blackett on the subject, see B.112, B.114.
May-July 1949.
August-December 1949 (includes 2 pp. note by Butler on 'The
arrangement of the Manchester University electro-magnet on
the Pic du Midi')-
January-October 1950.
Januar y-October 1951.
Photographs and blueprint plan of the Observatory, funding estimates.
B.42
B.43
B.44
B.45
B.46
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
54
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.47-B.50
Folder labelled 'T-mesons. Old calculations.
stable heavy particles'.
split into 4 smaller folders:
The contents of this folder have been
Reprints of
B.47
Ms. notes by Blackett: 'Decay Process' (15 December 1950),
'Range of T-mesons', notes on the literature, notes and graphs
in another hand.
W.G.V. Rosser, L. Leprince-Ringuet.
Related offprints by S.W. Mitra and
1950
B. 48
Correspondence and papers, mainly re work of C.D. Anderson's
team at California Institute of Technology.
1949-50
Includes:
Correspondence with C.D. Anderson, November 1949-August
1950, re proposal that E. Cowan should spend some time in
Blackett's laboratory at Manchester (he was unable to do so),
and re verification by Anderson's team of Rochester's and
Butler's hypothesis that forked tracks were ‘caused by new
unstable particles';
new particles.
re Pic du Midi project and re naming of the
7
7
In his letter of 12 July 1950, Blackett suggests the names
'V-tracks' and 'V-particles' and adds:
‘Il would like to get our
ideas set on this question before the end of August as | will be
talking at the British Association on these particles on the 31st,
and would like by then to have come to some decision as to
what they should be called.
to ask for his approval when | have heard from you'.
Blackett's letter of 19 July 1950 to A.H. Chapmanin B.44)3
| propose to write to Niels Bohr
(see also
An extract from a letter from Anderson to Rochester,
18 January 1950, is attached to correspondence of 23 November
1949,
‘Paris 28.4.50.
"Two new processes’.
T-Meson'.
6 pp. ms. notes for talk on
3 pp. ms. notes by Blackett on paper ‘Cloud chamber
observations of new unstable particle’ by Anderson's team;
ams. note at head reads 'no published comment till paper
appears’.
A press-cutting from Life magazine, 1950, on the new particle
is also included.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.49
'V-particles', ms. draft of talk at 'Harwell Conference,
Oxford', September 1950, with note 'Revised Colombo
November 1950'
(see also B.41, B.109).
35
1950
'V-particles', ms. draft of talk by Blackett in Bombay,
December 1950.
of V-particles' sent by India government to Blackett for his
amendments before publication.
annotated by Blackett (see also B.110).
Typescript of ‘Cloud Chamber Photographs
Typescript is heavily
Correspondence with C.C. Butler in Manchester (September-
December 1950) re V-particle decays.
report new photographs of neutral V-decays sent to Blackett
for his talk in Oxford.
V-particle decay events sent to Blackett in India for his talk
there.
The December letter reports new
The Septemberletters
B.50
Letter from J. Blaton (19 October 1947) enclosing a note
by him on 'Momentum and Energy Conservation’.
1947
B.51-B.54
Folder labelled 'V-particles. Old notes'.
of this folder have been split into smaller folders, as follows:
The contents
B.5]
B.52
B.53
Numerous sets of ms. notes by Blackett, few of them dated or
‘Decay in flight
titled.
of neutral particle’, ‘Spontaneous decay of mass M into two
bodies of equal mass m', ‘Symmetrical decay’.
Includes notes on the literature.
Correspondence from C.C. Butler, October 1951 and October
1952, writing from America with reports of cloud chamber
Includes report on
experiments by research teams there.
‘Cloud chamber experiments in progress and projected at
Caltech' (21 October 1951) and 'The Present Position on ve
particles’ (November 1952).
from Butler with news of personnel, equipment, theories, etc.
Very detailed full letters
Includes copy of letter from R.B. Leighton, Caltech, 25 June
1951, to Blackett.
Correspondence from K.H. Barker, A. Newth and C.C.
Butler (all writing from Manchester to Blackett in Rome),
December 1952 to January 1953, re future work of Pic du
Midi group.
(See also B.95.)
-_
1951-52
1952-53
B.53 continued
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
56
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.53
(continued)
Butler's letter (13 January 1953) accompanies an abstract of a
report by R.D. Sard at the Rochester Conference, December
1952, a copy of Blackett's letter to Butler (29 December 1952)
commenting on Butler's report of his American visit and offering
proposals for future work, and his note on ‘Consideration of
possibility of using random expansion with the flash controlled
by a counter system’.
of the Pic du Midi group, which ey also accompanied
this letter, have not survived.
Notes by Barker and Butler on the future
B.54
'The decay of V-mesons', typescript of paper by C.C. Butler
and K.H. Barker with accompanying graphs.
‘Identification of T-mesons in Photographic Emulsion’ (in
unidentified hand).
Misc. drawings, photographs, etc.
B90
Folder labelled 'Counter Controlled Cloud Chamber Techniques'
containing sets of ms. notes.
'Yield of V° and Chamber Size’.
3 pp.
Notes on solenoids.
'Yield of penetrating shower as function of height for cloud
chamberof given size’.
2 pp.
'"Niew law of nature". All good cloud chambers give ~2 Vs
per day, independent of their size (or to some extent their
height)'.
1p.
‘Flux of proton and neutron’.
Lectures delivered in Varenna, August-September 1953
N.B.
have been extracted and listed separately.
See B.114.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
5/7
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.56
Folder labelled 'Extensive Showers', of a very miscellaneous
composition.
1952-56
Includes:
Blackett's ms. notes on papers presented by others,
perhaps at Cosmic Rays conference, Lincoln College,
Oxford, April 1956.
Numerous graphs and charts (not all in Blackett's hand).
Notes on the literature.
Notes and calculations.
B.57
Copies of papers by other workers in the field.
kept by Blackett in B.56.)
(Originally
1951-54
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
58
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.58-B.60
Work on Cerenkov Radiation
Folder labelled 'Cerenkov Radiation’, containing work for
Blackett's paper 'A possible contribution to the light of the
night sky from the Cerenkov radiation emitted by cosmic rays’,
published in 1948.
held in July 1947 under the auspices of the Gassiot Committee.
See Lovell, Memoir, p.37, fora full description of the paper.
The contents of the folder have been split into smaller folders.
This paper was read at a conference
R.5.58,
B.58
Ms. notes (8 July 1947) for talk, typescript for published
version, offprint as published.
2 pp. typescript note, perhaps not by Blackett.
Letter from J.T. Randall. 18 December 1945, and note from
J.G. Wilson, 22 July (?1947).
B.59
Numeroussets of ms. notes:
'‘Photo-cell Detection of Shower'
‘Visibility of Shower, etc.'
'Naked eye observation of scintillations’
‘Visible light from single particle in fluorescent material’
‘Photometry’
‘Least reflectible brightness of steady and extended source’
B.60
Notes on the literature.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
59
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.61
Folder labelled 'Harwell Experiment. Cerenkov Radiation’.
Correspondence with J.V. Jelley and W. Galbraith re their
work at Harwell which was eventually published as ‘Light
Pulses from the Night Sky associated with Cosmic Rays'
(Nature, 171, 349, 1953).
was stimulated by Blackett's paper on the Cerenkov radiation
(see B. 58-B.60).
Jelley's and Galbraith's work
Includes several preliminary drafts for the paper and offprint,
notes and graphs sent to Blackett for comment, and typescript
of later paper for publication in Nature ‘Light Pulses from
the Night Sky’.
Correspondence with officials at Harwell re the experiment,
comments by B.D. Hyamson early draft of paper.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
60
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.62-B.67
PHOTOGRAPHS OF PARTICLE DISINTEGRATION AND COSMIC
RAYS
The numerous requests to reproduce Blackett's photographs of particle
disintegration and cosmic rays (B.145 - B.147) amply testify to the truth of
the statement by E.C. Bullard (quoted by Lovell, Memoir, p.9) that these
photographs ‘have adorned almost every text book of nuclear physics for the
past fifty years’.
B.62
B.63
B.64
B.65
B.66
B.67
Copies of Blackett's photographs of particle disintegration.
These were originally published in his early papers on the
subject and were later used to illustrate numerous textbooks
on nuclear physics.
the captions are of later dates.
All are labelled on verso; most of
c. 1924-32
Photograph album with many pages removed from the binding
and loosely inserted.
particle disintegration with notes by Blackett of their origin
or of their use as illustrations in early papers.
Many of the
photographs have become detached from the pages of the album.
Contains numerous photographs of
One envelope of photographs of 'Slow alpha ray collisions,
1922'.
Album of photographs, with many loose photographs, mainly
of cosmic ray tracks in cloud chamber. Many are described
on verso by Blackett or others.
Envelope of photographs labelled ‘Cosmic ray photographs
Also includes
taken in a cloud chamber 1933 and 1946'.
photograph of equipment used by Blackett and Occhialini,
1933.
1933-46
Envelope of photographs labelled 'Pic du Midi.
of cascade decay (Butler et al)’.
Discovery
1951-59
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
61
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.68-B.74
WORKING NOTES ON THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF
COSMIC RAYS 1949-1955
For lectures by Blackett on the subject, see B.105-B. 108,
B.110, B.112, B.115, B.118, B.121, B.124, B.127-B.129.
B.68
Folder labelled 'Origin Theories of Cosmic Rays.
Includes:
Misc. notes on the literature.
'The possibility of a betatron acceleration mechanism
in the equatorial plane of a variable magnetic star’.
11 pp. ms. draft by C.B. Wheeler with notes by
Blackett.
Lectures by Blackett on the origin of cosmic rays
N.B.
given in Manchester and London, 1949, have been extracted
and listed separately.
See B.105 and B.106.
B.69
Folder labelled ‘Summaries of papers on theories of origin
of cosmic rays’.
Contains numerous sets of ms. notes and calculations by
Blackett, few of them dated or titled.
Many pages of
notes on the current literature.
in Blackett's original order.
Contents have been left
Notes for 2 lectures by Blackett on the origin of
N.B.
cosmic rays have been extracted and listed separately.
See B.110 and B.112.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
62
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.70
Folder labelled 'Origin of Cosmic Rays'.
Includes:
Numerous sets of ms. notes by Blackett; several are
headed 'Varenna', probably notes taken by Blackett
at cosmic ray conference there.
Notes on the literature.
7 pp. typescript by C.B. Wheeler (probably report on
research) with sub-headings 'The origin of primary cosmic
radiation', 'The rate of thermonuclear reactions’,
‘Impulsive fuse-blowing', 'Water stabilised high-power
arcs’.
Outline of lecture by Blackett delivered in Manchester,
N.B.
revised and delivered to Royal Meteorological Society, 1950,
has been extracted and listed separately.
See B.107.
B.7]
Folder labelled ‘Origin Theories of Cosmic Rays’.
Includes:
Numerous sets of working notes, including 'Acceleration
Mechanisms', ‘Acceleration of C.R. by varying magnetic
field', 'Theory of decay of magnetic field of lines of
force', and ‘Conductivity of interstellar space’.
Notes on the literature, especially on work by E. Fermi.
B.72
Folder labelled ‘Origin Theories.
Russian Translation’.
1951-54
Typescripts of translation of 4 papers published in Russian
scientific journals, 1951-54.
One letter from B.F. Kraus (Translator?).
B.73
Folder labelled ‘Swann.
Origin Theories’.
1955
Bibliography and various publications by W.F.G. Swann,
Bartol Research Foundation, The Franklin Institute.
Correspondence from Swann re cosmic ray conference to be
held in Guanajuato, Mexico, September 1955.
B.74
Folder containing offprints collected by Blackett re origin
theories of cosmic rays.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
63
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.75-B.83
WORKING NOTES ON ASTROPHYSICS 1953-1959
B./5-B.77
Folder labelled ‘Freundlich and Red Shift', containing drafts,
correspondence and offprints.
split into 3 smaller folders as follows:
The contents have been
1953-54
B.75
‘A new interpretation of the observed displacement of lines
in the spectra of the Sun and Stars', 26 pp. typescript of
paper by E. Finlay-Freundlich.
‘Theoretical remarks about Freundlich's Red Shift formula’,
typescript comments by M. Born on Freundlich's paper
(2 versions: 6 pp. and 12 pp.)
Both papers were submitted to the Proc. Phys. Soc. and
Proc. Roy. Soc. for publication in the summer of 1953.
They were eventually published in the Gétt.Nachrichten.
B.76
Blackett's correspondence with Born and Freundlich re
content and publication of their papers, with other colleagues
in the field re the red shift.
Includes copy of lengthy letter from Lovell to Born sent to
Blackett for information and copy of 'A note on Freundlich
red-shift and the effect of radiation on Lamb-shift', by
D.S. Kothari and F.C. Auluck.
Baz?
‘Gravitational Red Shift and Light Deflection’, 5 pp. ms.
by Blackett, with misc. notes.
Association copies of offprints sent by Freundlich to Blackett.
Copy of obituary notice of E. Finlay-Freundlich, 1965, by
H. von Kluber, and of Blackett's letter of sympathy to Mrs.
Finlay-Freundlich.
P.M.S. Blackett
CSAC 63/1/79
64
Section B - Particle disintegration, Cosmic Rays, Astrophysics
B.78-B.80
Folder labelled 'Crab Nebula.
Cosmic Rays’.
Synchrotron Radiation.
1956-57
Contents have been split into smaller folders as follows:
B.78
Ms. notes by Blackett:
‘Compton effect for k