Finding Aid for Betatron Project Records, 1941-1945 | University of Illinois Archives

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Collection Overview

Title: Betatron Project Records, 1941-1945

ID: 11/10/10

Primary Creator: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Department of Physics

Extent: 0.3 cubic feet

Arrangement: By type of record and chronologically thereunder

Subjects: Allis-Chalmers Company, Betatron, General Atomic Corporation, General Electric Company, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Midwest Universities Research Association

Formats/Genres: Papers

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Betatron Project Records including financial records (1941-42), a notebook on the design and production of vacuum tight porcelain doughnut shaped tubes (1942-46), three notebooks on plate backing and heat tests of doughnuts and injector designs (1942-45), correspondence between Gerald Almy and Donald Kerst on testing and project support (April 21 - July 11, 1944) and a notebook on thyratron and flux forcing experiments (1945).

Biographical Note

Courses in chemical physics and higher physics were listed in the 1868-69 catalogue.¹In 1870-71, the Board of Trustees listed Stillman W. Robinson as professor of Physics, and, in 1871-72, they listed Physics and Astronomy as a "department of study."²Course catalogs for 1876-77 through 1890-91 refer to a "course in physics" as part of the curriculum of the four schools in the College of Engineering.³ In 1886, the Physics course was divided, offering a general course, and one for engineering.⁴Until 1889-90, when Samuel W. Stratton assumed teaching responsibilities in Physics, the courses were usually taught by the heads of the departments of Mechanical and Mining Engineering.⁵ Upon Stratton's formal appointment as Assistant Professor of Physics, the scope of instruction in Physics was expanded and Physics emerged as separate department in 1890-91.⁶

Graduate work in Physics leading to the Master's and Ph.D. were offered through the Graduate College after its establishment in 1907. The first Ph.Ds. in Physics were awarded in 1910, and an undergraduate program leading to the Bachelor's of Science in Engineering was approved in 1917 and the first B.S. was awarded in 1923.⁷The aims of the department are to offer "a curriculum in engineering physics to give . . . training in fundamental physics and mathematics." The department has "extensive facilities for instruction and investigation in physics."⁸Physics is available as a field of concentration and as a major leading to the Bachelor's of Science degree within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.⁹

1. Catalogues and Circulars, 1868-69, pp. 26-27.

2. Board of Trustees Transactions, 4th Report, 1870-71, p. 45; 5th Report, p. 56.

3. Catalogues & Circulars, 1876-77 to 1890-91.

4. Board of Trustees Transactions, 13th Report, 1884-86, p. 159.

5. Board of Trustees Transactions, 15th Report, 1888-90, December 10, 1889, p. 114.

6. Board of Trustees Transactions, 15th Report, 1888-90, June 10, 1890, pp. 148-49, 160.

7. Board of Trustees Transactions, 24th Report, 1906-08, June 10, 1907, p. 133. Board of Trustees Transactions, 1916-18, June 25, 1917, pp. 392-93.

8. Undergraduate Study Catalog, 1969-70, p. 266.

9. Undergraduate Programs, 1987-90, p. 274, 287-88.

Subject/Index Terms

Allis-Chalmers Company
Betatron
General Atomic Corporation
General Electric Company
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Midwest Universities Research Association

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[All]

Box 1

Item 1: Financial Documents, 1941-1942
Item 2: Betatron Procject Ledger, ca. 1940: Includes Electron Induction Accelerator in Abbot Power Plant, 1941-1942 showing date, and payroll and amount of budgeted and contingency expenditures.
Item 3: Betatron Project Laboratory Notebook, 1942-1946: Includes Donut Design Book, notes, diagrams, tables, and sketches.
Item 4: Office of Emergency Management Computation Book Number 2, 1942-1945: Includes chronological record of gold and platinum plate tests, donut baking and heat tests, diagrams, tables, equations, and observations.
Item 5: Office of Emergency Management Book Number 4, 1943-1944: Includes Diagrams, graphs, tables and observations on a series of tests of donuts and interjectors. Contains a list of betatron and monitor serial numbers.
Item 6: Betatron Injector Book, 1944-1945: Includes diagrams, tables of results and observations for injector design tests.
Item 7: Almy-Kerst Correspondence, 1944
Item 8: Betatron Staff (Electron) Coasting Experiment Book Number 4, 1945: Includes diagrams, tables, and observations for thyratron and flux forcing experiements. Includes "Equilibrium Orbit Determinations" and "Ideas on the Coasting Test."
Folder 9: Photographs from Carl Pittman, construction of the Betatron, undated