MS 636
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Collection Summary | |
| Creator: | Lamb, Willis E. (Willis Eugene), 1913-2008 |
| Creator: | Lamb, Ursula |
| Collection Name | Willis E. Lamb Jr. papers |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1937-2007 |
| Physical Description | 15 Linear Feet 18 boxes, 1 poster and 1 painting |
| Abstract | Personal and professional papers of Nobel laureate Willis Lamb including publications, correspondence, research materials, memorabilia and extensive digital assets, mostly on obsolete media relating to a computational physics project. |
| Collection Number | MS 636 |
| Language: | Materials are in English |
| Repository |
University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections University of Arizona PO Box 210055 Tucson, AZ 85721-0055 Phone: 520-621-6423 Fax: 520-621-9733 URL: http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/ E-Mail: LBRY-askspcoll@email.arizona.edu |
Willis Eugene Lamb, Jr. was born in Los Angeles in 1913. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1934 and a doctorate in 1938 at the University of California. In addition, he was awarded the honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Pennsylvania, Honorary Masters degrees by both Oxford University and Yale University; and honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Yeshiva University. He has been a member of the faculty at Columbia University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Wykeham Professor of Physics and Fellow of New College at Oxford University, Ford Professor of Physics at Yale University; Regents Professor of Physics at the University of Arizona; and Professor Emeritus of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. His research has been concerned with theoretical physics, on atomic and nuclear structure, microwave spectroscopy, fine structure of hydrogen and helium, magnetron oscillators, masers, and lasers; in precise measurements with hydrogen measured a splitting of energy levels (the so-called "Lamb Shift"); developed theory of beta decay and of interactions of neutrons. He is Fellow of the American Physical Society of England and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. His work has been recognized globally, through the Rumford Premium Award, the Research Corporation Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, Yeshiva Award, and the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1955.
Ursula Schaefer Lamb, his first wife of 57 years, was born in Essen/Ruhr, Germany in 1914. She received a Masters of Arts degree in 1937 from the University of California Berkeley and her doctorate at Columbia University in 1949. She was a distinguished Latin American historian specializing in the era of European naval exploration and the history of science. Ursula Lamb taught at Barnard College, Oxford, Yale and the University of Arizona where she was Professor Emerita.
In 1996 Lamb married colleague Bruria Kaufman a theoretical physicist and former lab assistant to Albert Einstein. They later divorced and Lamb married Elsie Wattson in 2008. Willis Lamb passed away later that year in Tucson, Arizona at the age of 94.
This collection mostly covers the latter portion of Willis Lamb's professional life (late 1970s to the mid 1990s) and relates mostly to a computational physics project, but also quantum mechanics, quantum measurement, Ising structure, the Duffing Equation, laster isotope seperation and others. Of special note is a collection of correspondence, in the form of printed out emails, between Willis Lamb, Bruria Kaufman and a few others in 1993 when email and internet access were in their infancy. There are nearly daily messeges that recount both personal and professional subjects. Additionally there is a draft biography of Richard Feynman by an unknown author, a large painting of Willis Lamb, and several commemorative objects. Almost half of the collection is comprised of digital media, mostly in obsolete forms. Many of these are computer disks with very scant identification such as "T1" or "ARC". The earliest materials in the collection, 1937-1970, are part of the Ursula Lamb materials described in Series VI. These account for about a carton and a half of materials or (1.5 linear feet). The focus is on her research, publications and correspondence related to her various teaching positions.
There are no restrictions on the collection.
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for the University of Arizona, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.
Willis E. Lamb Jr. papers (MS 636). Special Collections, University of Arizona Libraries.
| Series I: Project Files, 1958-1995 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Content Note | |||||||||||
| Contains correspondence, teaching materials, notebooks, grant proposals, email correspondence with Bruria Kaufman and a draft of a biography of Richard Feynman. Also, projects related to quantum mechanics and quantum measurement. Materials are predominantly from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. Organized topically and chronologically. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | muLISP-83 Reference Manual, artificial intelligence development, undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Teaching materials, super Classical Theory, draft "What Newton Might have done with Wave Mechanics", undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | LIS, C02 laser, 1979 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Incoming correspondence, 1986 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences, program, 1987 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Notebook: vendors, addresses, computer notes, 1987-1988 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Notebook: Sun 3, installation notes, 1987-1993 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Workshop: The Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Los Alamos Lab, proceedings, 1990 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Z-80 Forth, Laboratory Microsystems, circa 1994 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10-14 | Grant proposals: NSF, NASA, DARPA/ONR, DOE, 1974-1979 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15-22 | Quantum Measurement, 1958-1982 | |||||||||
| 1 | 23 | Quantum Mechanics 370a/b, 442 P. A. S., 235, undated | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | Quantum Mechanics 370 a/b, 442 P. A. S., 235, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 2 | Quantum Mechanics, Hydrogen equations, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 3 | Super Classical Quantum Mechanics, article printed on transparencies, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 4 | Quantum Measurement, lectures, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 5 | Quantum Measuremtn, transparencies, 1984 | |||||||||
| 2 | 6 | Quantum noise, symposium, 1984 | |||||||||
| 2 | 7 | Obituaries for Melba Phillips, articles on women in science, article with Bruria Kaufman quotes about Einstein , 2004, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 8 | Harlem Riverside Defense Council Civilian Defense Map, Leo Markun pamphlet, likely belonged to Bruria Kaufman, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 9 | Notebook: Willis Lamb and Bruria Harris [Kaufman], undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 10 | Bruria Kaufman: QTM, programming project, 1995, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 11-13 | Willis Lamb email correspondence with Bruria Kaufman, and others, 1993 | |||||||||
| 2 | 14-18 | Draft, biography of Richard Feynman, unknown author, undated | |||||||||
| Series II: Research Materials, 1976-2004 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Content Note | |||||||||||
| Contains research materials, notebooks, figures, graphs, mathematical equations, programming code and other data. Organized topically and chronologically. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | Strong Signal Single Mode Laser with stationary atoms, 1976 | |||||||||
| 3 | 2 | P1 test, polar.dat, articles, 1976-1980 | |||||||||
| 3 | 3 | Contour f5 tape, f5 compilation, 1977-1989 | |||||||||
| 3 | 4 | Laser isotope separation studies, articles, notes, 1979 | |||||||||
| 3 | 5 | Incoherent amplifier, 1985 | |||||||||
| 3 | 6 | Binder: Wright, Log, Ahmed, Dupertuis, Bajaj, 1985-1989 | |||||||||
| 3 | 7 | [hydrogen] articles, equations, programming, 1989, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 8 | Turin, diary, 1991, 1995 | |||||||||
| 3 | 9 | Duffing, 1992-1993 | |||||||||
| 3 | 10 | Classical theory of measurement, user commands, 1992-1993 | |||||||||
| 3 | 11 | F. P. U. problem, articles, circa 1993 | |||||||||
| 3 | 12 | Programming project, circa 1993 | |||||||||
| 3 | 13 | Programming, file names: lubbock.f, turinL.f., keep-diary, 1994 | |||||||||
| 3 | 14 | Classical theory of measurement, 1995 | |||||||||
| 3 | 15 | Notebooks: Ising, unlabeled, 1997, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 16 | Comments on SCL QM, 1997 | |||||||||
| 3 | 17 | Micron, programming, 2004, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 18 | Research, notes, 2004, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 19 | Matrix formation for the Ising lattice, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 20 | Atoms in intense laser field, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 21 | Multiphoton processes in hydrogen, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 22 | Notebook, equations, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 23 | Eigen functions, Eigen values, xdotpdot, mpd2, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 24 | [programming], pot.mac, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 25 | XI'th Law, Ehrenfest's theorem, Quantum Recurrence Theorum, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 26 | Math, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 27 | Equations, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 28 | Photographs: images, figures, one print and negatives, 1978, undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 29-30 | 35 mm slides: figures, math, Lamb Shift, Helium, teaching materials, undated | |||||||||
| Series III: Publications, 1937-1997 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Content Note | |||||||||||
| Academic papers (articles) authored by Willis Lamb. Mostly offprints with some photocopies. 2 copies of each title. Organized chronologically and numbered by record creator 1-134. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 1 | Articles, offprints, numbered 1-[17], 1937-1948 | |||||||||
| 4 | 2 | Articles, offprints, numbered [18]-33, 1949-1957 | |||||||||
| 4 | 3 | Articles, offprints, numbered 35-46, 1958-1964 | |||||||||
| 4 | 4 | Articles, offprints, numbered 47-60, 1964-1969 | |||||||||
| 4 | 5 | Articles, offprints, numbered 61-84, 1969-1973 | |||||||||
| 4 | 6 | Articles, offprints, numbered 85-93, 1973-1976 | |||||||||
| 4 | 7 | Articles, offprints, numbered 94-104, 1977-1983 | |||||||||
| 4 | 8 | Articles, offprints, numbered 105-119, 1980-1989 | |||||||||
| 4 | 9 | Articles, offprints, numbered 120-134, 1990-1997 | |||||||||
| 4 | 10 | Articles, possibly drafts, undated | |||||||||
| Series IV: Photographs, Memorabilia, Oversize, circa 1940-2001 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Content Note | |||||||||||
| Series includes: personal materials such as photographs of family and vacations, visual art including an oil painting of Willis Lamb, three-dimensional objects, and oversize materials such as prints of awards, diplomas and posters. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 1 | Photographs: Willis Lamb, Ursula Lamb, portraits, family and professional, circa 1940-1994 | |||||||||
| 4 | 2 | 35 mm slides: Willis Lamb, Ursula Lamb, European vacation slides (mostly architecture), 1971, undated | |||||||||
| Art storage rack | item | ||||||||||
| MS 636 | 1 | Oil painting, portrait of Willis Lamb by Giovanella (Joan Markson), undated | |||||||||
| MS 636 | 1 | National Medal of Science poster, 2000 | |||||||||
| box | item | ||||||||||
| 6 | 1 | Nobel laureate memento designed and directed by Henry H. Saenz; produced by Diane Wright George. Nobel Convocation, 1981 | |||||||||
| 6 | 1 | Photograph: Willis lamb received the Nobel laureate memento sculpture, 1981 | |||||||||
| 6 | 2 | California Nobel Prize Centennial, commemorative picture frame (no picture included), 2001 | |||||||||
| 6 | 3 | Physical research Laboratory, Golden Jubilee, commemorative gold plated ash tray, 1997 | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 1 | Prints: Willis Lamb Research Corporation Award, 1954 (facsimile), undated | |||||||||
| 7 | 1 | Prints: Honorary Doctorate, University of Ulm, Germany, 1997 (facsimile), undated | |||||||||
| 7 | 1 | Prints: Honorary Doctorate, Columbia University, 1990 (facsimile), undated | |||||||||
| 7 | 1 | Prints: American Academy of Arts & Sciences certificate, 1954 (facsimile), undated | |||||||||
| 7 | 1 | Prints: Honorary Doctorate, University of Pennsylvania, 1954, undated | |||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 10 | 3.5 inch floppy disks: Willis? Ursula? Photos?, 1990s | ||||||||||
| Series V: Audiovisual and Digital Media, 1982-2007 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Content Note | |||||||||||
| This series is predominantly digital media with a few films (VHS and 16 mm). Formats include: 5.25 inch floppies, 3.5 inch diskettes, computer tape, Data8/Video8 cartridges, iomega Bernoulli disks and jaz disks, and Compact Disks (CDs). Contents include computer backups, backups of "Primus" [computer server], and many program disks/software install disks and utilities. A few items are labeled Bruria Kaufman. Several sets of 5.25 inch floppies contain printed index/directories. Organized by media format. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 13 | Directory list, accompanies 5.25 inch floppy disks from binder "60", located in Box 14, 1984 | |||||||||
| 4 | 14 | Directory list, accompanies 5.25 inch floppy disks from binder "40", located in Box 14, 1984 | |||||||||
| 4 | 15 | Directory list, accompanies 5.25 inch floppy disks from binder "20", located in Box 14, 1984 | |||||||||
| 4 | 16 | Directory list, accompanies 5.25 inch floppy disks from unlabeled binder, first disk labeled "DC v. 2.10 copy", located in Box 14, 1984, 1987 | |||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 8 | VHS: Scandinavian PAL copy, Prof. Willis Lamb, Finhanda (Finnish) from Bjorn Carlgren SUT, undated | ||||||||||
| 8 | 16 mm film, contains graphs/figures, labeled "Arrow", undated | ||||||||||
| 8 | 16 mm film, Arrow of Time, contains graphs and text, undated | ||||||||||
| 8 | 16 mm film, unlabeled, figures , undated | ||||||||||
| 8 | Computer tape: Willis 3, AOS, 12 files. MCA 3200 BPI, undated | ||||||||||
| 8 | Computer tape: "Willis Dump": USLIS, JERRY, WILLIS, USUTIL, USLIS, 4 tapes, Inmac Plus, 1982 | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 9 | Data8/8 mm video: Primus backups, root/var, 3 cassettes, 1998, undated | ||||||||||
| 9 | Data8/8 mm video: Primus backups, /home, 3 cassettes , 1996-1999 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Data8/8 mm video: Primus backups, /mail_archive, 1 cassette, 1997-2000 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Data8/8 mm video: Primus backups, 2 cassettes, 1996-1998 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Data8/8 mm video: backups, 2 cassettes, 1994-2000 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Data8/8 mm video: Bruria backup, 1 cassettes, 1995 | ||||||||||
| 9 | DL2120 Mini data cartridge: Maple v2, WEP4, Maple V3 RK DE_STEP, unlabeled, 6 cartridges, 1993-1995 | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 10 | DLT tape: Primus backups, 7 tapes, 1999-2007 | ||||||||||
| 10 | DC 600A data cartridge: NCAR, dump, sd1C, 1988 | ||||||||||
| 10 | DC 600A data cartridge: MathTensor for UNIX workstations, Version 2.1.5, 1993 | ||||||||||
| 10 | 3.5 inch floppy disks: Copy of TS-DOS Master, 7 diskettes, undated | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 11 | 3.5 inch floppy disks: Programs/Software for Windows, Unix, about 150 diskettes, 1990s | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 12 | 3.5 inch floppy disks: Computer backups, Programs/Software (some overwritten), about 150 diskettes, 1990s | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 13 | 3.5 inch floppy disks: Computer backups, Programs/Software (some overwritten), about 150 diskettes, 1990s | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 14 | 5.25 inch floppy disks: Binder "40", 30 disks, see index in Box 4 Folder 14, 1984 | ||||||||||
| 14 | 5.25 inch floppy disks: Binder "80", 29 disks, circa 1984 | ||||||||||
| 14 | 5.25 inch floppy disks: Binder "20", 29 disks, see index in Box 4 Folder 15, 1984 | ||||||||||
| 14 | 5.25 inch floppy disks: Unlabeled binder, 20 disks, circa 1984 | ||||||||||
| 14 | 5.25 inch floppy disks: Binder "60", 29 disks, see index in Box 4 Folder 13, 1984 | ||||||||||
| 14 | 5.25 inch floppy disks: Unlabeled binder, 34 disks, see index in Box 4 Folder 16, 1984, 1987 | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 15 | 5.25 inch floppy disks: Harris [Bruria Kaufman], Book 2-BAK, Theory of Language and Information, 2 disk, 1989-1990 | ||||||||||
| 15 | 5.25 inch floppy disks: Computer backups, ARC backups, software, about 175 disks, 1985-1990, undated | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 16 | 5.25 inch floppy disks: ARC backups, dump of C:\willis,software, about 100 disks, 1988, undated | ||||||||||
| 16 | Compact disks: Programs/Software, Fedora, Fortran, Ghost, Lahey, etc., 24 disks, 2002-2006, undated | ||||||||||
| 16 | Compact disks: Various directories burned as user "willis", 1 disk, 2004 | ||||||||||
| 16 | Compact disks: Willis & Bruria, download, 1 disk, 2002 | ||||||||||
| 16 | Compact disks: Bruria, Ghost backup of worm infection contracted November, 2003, 2004 | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 17 | iomega Bernoulli floppy disks: labeled: Qmodem, T1, D, E:, F:, 01., 02., 09., PARTC0493, etc., , 1996, undated | ||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 18 | iomega jaz disks: Programs/software, computer backups labeled: ufs, T1, G1, /image, /rogue, /epiderm, /marina, /pub, etc., 30 disks, 1998, undated | ||||||||||
| Series VI: Ursula Schaefer Lamb, 1937-1996 | |||||||||||
| Scope and Content Note | |||||||||||
| Contains professional materials related to Ursula Lambs' career as a Latin American historian. Includes correspondence, coursework and teaching materials, research materials, memorabilia including a plaque and academic hood, publications, and digital media (5.25 and 3.5 inch floppies). Organized topically and chronologically. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 17 | Masters thesis, University of California Berkeley, 1937 | |||||||||
| 4 | 18 | Correspondence, 1937-1989, 1937-1989 | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 5 | 1 | Pamphlets, mostly offprints, by Ursula Lamb, 1938-1970s | |||||||||
| 5 | 2-3 | Draft, Don Frey Nocolas de Ovando, by Ursula Lamb notes by Caridad R. Castellano, 1954 | |||||||||
| 5 | 4 | Ovando dissertation materials, facsimiles of correspondence, maps, 1955-1962 | |||||||||
| 5 | 5 | Collaboration with University in the Canary Islands, 1957-1965 | |||||||||
| 5 | 6 | Instituto de Cultura Hispanica, 1958 | |||||||||
| 5 | 7 | Oxford papers, correspondence, 1959-1961 | |||||||||
| 5 | 8 | Ovando materials, correspondence, 1960s-1970s | |||||||||
| 5 | 9 | The Quatri Partitu en Cosmographia, 1968 | |||||||||
| 5 | 10 | Ausonia, maritime history, conference in Venice, Italy, 1969 | |||||||||
| 5 | 11 | Yale University, University of Arizona, Smith College (coursework), history and teaching materials, 1 photograph, 1960s-1970s, undated | |||||||||
| 5 | 12 | Correspondence about publications, 1970s | |||||||||
| 5 | 13 | Map exhibit, Yale University, Mexican Inquisition, Diego Calderon correspondence, 1971 | |||||||||
| 5 | 14-15 | Yale University, History Department correspondence, 1972-1973 | |||||||||
| 5 | 16 | Correspondence, 1976-1978 | |||||||||
| 5 | 17 | Photographs of marble statues, undated | |||||||||
| 5 | 18 | Facsimiles of early Spanish text, possibly farmer's almanac, negatives, undated | |||||||||
| 5 | 19 | Models, Persian/ancient calendars and info, undated | |||||||||
| 5 | 20 | Ursula Lamb obituary, correspondence, 1996 | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 1 | Masters of Arts in History diploma, University of California Berkeley, 1937 | |||||||||
| 7 | 1 | Doctorate in History, University of California Berkeley, 1949 | |||||||||
| 7 | 1 | Award of Distinguished Service, Conference of Latin American History, 1990 | |||||||||
| 7 | 2 | Academic hood, Arts, Letters & Humanities, white velvet, undated | |||||||||
| 7 | 3 | Publication: The Letters of Dr. Monsey, a Story of English Harbour by Miles Fairbank, 1968 | |||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 8 | Ursula Lamb: Microfilm reel: Working papers of the Columbus round robin, 1982-1983, 577 letters, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1983 | ||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 5 | 21 | 5.25 inch floppy disks: Cosmography, Canary Islands project, many labeled correspondence, Russell-Wood, Bauza, Argostin, papers, undated | |||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 10 | 3.5 inch floppy disks: Ursula Lamb: Papers, letters, book, backups, 1990s | ||||||||||