Finding Aid to the Papers of Francis Bitter, 1925-1967Sponsor:This finding aid has been encoded by the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics as part of a collaborative project supported by a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities, an independent federal agency. Collaboration members in 1999 consisted of: American Institute of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Rice University, University of Alaska, University of Illinois, and University of Texas. Publisher:American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Encoding Information:Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD v.1.0 by Clay Redding on July 31, 2000 from an existing finding aid using NoteTab Pro and C++ scripts created by James P. Tranowski (provided by Elizabeth Dow, Special Collections, University of Vermont). Any revisions made to this finding aid occurred as part of the editing and encoding process. Reviewed by [name, institution] on [date] . Finding aid written in English. Description of the CollectionLocation of collection:Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Institute Archives and Special Collections. Title and dates of collection:Papers of Francis Bitter, 1925-1967 Papers/Records created by:Bitter, Francis, 1902-1967. Size of collection:17.3 cubic feet (17 records cartons; 1 manuscript box) Short description of collection:These papers document the career of Francis Bitter, who helped establish the National Magnet Laboratory at M.I.T. The bulk of the collection postdates 1934 when Bitter came to M.I.T. The papers consist primarily of correspondence to colleagues, professional societies, and concerns that hired him as a consultant. Languages Represented:English Selected Search TermsThese papers have been indexed in the International Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS) using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms. Biography of Francis BitterFrancis Bitter (FB) was born in Weehawken, N. J. on July 22, 1902 to Karl Bitter, the sculptor, and Marie Schevill Bitter. He grew up in Weehawken and New York City. Starting in 1919, FB attended the University of Chicago but, after working on a cattle boat in order to visit Europe in 1922, he transferred to Columbia University. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1925 and spent the next year studying in Berlin. He began a lifelong study of magnets when he returned to Columbia for graduate work. Under A. P. Wills' supervision, FB wrote his dissertation on the diamagnetic susceptibility of hydrocarbons. FB received his doctoral degree in 1928 and continued his studies under Robert Millikan at the California Institute of Technology with the support of a National Research Fellowship. The same year FB married Mrs. Alice Coomara (née Richardson). Under the stage name of Ratan Devi his wife was a popular singer. In 1930 FB left academia to accept work in Pittsburgh with the Research Department of Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. His magnet studies expanded to include ferromagnetism. A symposium on this same subject was held in 1931 by the American Physical Society due in part to FB's impetus. The same year he discovered the powder pattern method for visualizing magnetic domain structure. With the help of another fellowship, a Guggenheim, FB went to the Cavendish Laboratories at Cambridge University in 1933. There he studied with Peter Kapitza who was working with powerful pulsed magnetic fields. He returned to Westinghouse in 1934, but only for a few months. In the fall of 1934 FB began his long career with M.I.T. while continuing as a consultant for Westinghouse. At M.I.T. FB became an associate professor in the Department of Mining and Metallurgy. He designed a high field magnet through the use of water-cooled copper coil electromagnets. His work was partially funded by grants from the Penrose fund of the American Philosophical Society and from the Joseph Henry Fund of the National Academy of Science. By 1938 M.I.T. had a Magnet laboratory established largely through FB's efforts. His early experiments succeeded in creating a solenoid magnet that produced a constant field of 100,000 gauss. FB also collaborated with George Harrison on the use of new magnets for investigations of optical phenomena, the Zeeman effect in particular. Another project involved the study of the connection between magnetism and geology; this work helped to reconstruct the history of the earth's magnetic field. During World War II FB spent five years with the Naval Bureau of Ordnance. He worked in England on methods to demagnetize German mines in the English Channel. Other work included development of detection and target-seeking instruments. FB attained the rank of Commander in the Navy and became a reserve officer in 1947. When he returned to M.I.T. in 1945, FB joined the Department of Physics. With one of his students, Jean Brossel, he experimented with double resonance. His magnet laboratory was converted during the War, so FB reconstructed the lab after the War to facilitate his experiments. FB maintained an active interest in M.I.T. and in education in general. He became a full professor in 1951 and from 1956 to 1960 he served as Associate Dean of Science. His interest in curriculum studies led to his association with the Physical Science Study Committee of Educational Services, Inc. (E.S.I.). He and his second wife, Mrs. Katherine Welchman, served as Masters of M.I.T.'s Graduate House from 1962 to 1965. In 1960 FB became Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Geology and Geophysics and assumed primary responsibility for the design and completion of the National Magnet Laboratory which was funded by the U. S. Air Force. The facility's program was to focus on earth and space science, hence FB's departmental change. In an October 22, 1963 letter to Mr. Bruce Kingsbury of E. S. I., FB explains his association with the N. M. L. I built the original water-cooled magnets and set up a magnet laboratory for their operation in the basement of building 4 during the latter part of the 1930's. After the war Dr. Benjamin Lax of the Lincoln Laboratory became interested in high field work and assembled a group to design and apply for funds to construct a new and larger laboratory. I, subsequently, joined this effort and agreed with Dr. Lax that he would be the director of the laboratory when funds became available and that I would act for the group in taking responsibility for technical aspects of design and construction of the power plant and magnets. These plans were actually carried out when the National Magnet Laboratory came into existence. The final acceptance tests are about to be completed. At this time I propose to officially relinquish all administrative responsibility in the Laboratory and become entirely a consultant to help the Director in any problems in which he thinks my experi- ence would be valuable. In addition, I have been and propose to continue to be a user of the facilities of the Laboratory to further my own work in atomic physics and geophysics. (Box 6, Physical Science Study Committee)During FB's tenure, the N. M. L. produced a water-cooled magnet that gave a constant magnet field of 250,000 gauss. An active consultant, FB worked with Arthur D. Little and Sylvania, where he contributed to fluorescent light improvement. His work with Clarence Max Fowler of the Los Alamos laboratories concerned the precise control of high explosives which led to transient magnetic fields of a great intensity, in other words, to megagauss magnets. In 1966 FB spent a semester at Chicago's Illinois Institute of Technology serving as advisor in their high field laboratory. Francis Bitter died on July 26, 1967. In his honor, the National Magnet Laboratory was renamed the Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory on November 21, 1967. More detailed biographical information on FB is available in:
Scope and Contents of CollectionThe Francis Bitter (FB) collection includes correspondence; reports; minutes; notes; research and patent data; blueprints, sketches, and drawings; course notes; and reprints and other printed material. These papers are from FB's office files and most of his file labels remain intact. Series II is divided into two chronological subseries. For more information see series descriptions following the Scope and Content Note. The Francis Bitter Papers (21 linear feet) span the years from 1925 to 1967. Although not exhaustive, the FB papers provide a broad overview of the physicist's career. The bulk of the collection postdates 1934 when FB came to M. I.T. The largest series, his alphabetical subject files (Series II), consists primarily of correspondence to colleagues, professional societies, and concerns that hired him as a consultant. The collection includes material that does not relate to M.I.T. His research files (Series IV) contain six student notebooks from his days at Columbia and the University of Berlin. One notebook (in the same volume as a 1952-1962 diary) contains notes on electromagnetic experiments that FB conducted in Berlin, prior to his graduate thesis work. FB's time at Westinghouse is documented in the collection. Some of his work was patented and the applications, descriptions, and other technical data is in Series II A. During his Guggenheim fellowship at the Cavendish Laboratories in Cambridge, England FB wrote to T. D. Yensen and L. W. Chubb of Westinghouse about his investigations. Some of these technical letters concern ferromagnetism and show the evolution of FB's book on the subject. Throughout his career FB often served as a consultant and his files document these outside activities. FB continued advising Westinghouse and there are minutes from their Magnet Division meetings in Series II A. The technical letters from this consulting job concern tests FB made for Westinghouse at M.I.T. on magnetic alloys, Hipersil development, and grain orientation. There is material from other consulting jobs, including Arthur D. Little and Sylvania (Series II B). One of FB's notebooks (Series V) is a diary of hours spent on various projects. After he became a reserve officer, FB worked with the Navy's Electricity and Magnetism Division and he served on their Ferromagnetic Committee. One of FB's most important consulting projects began in 1963, when he started working at the Los Alamos Laboratories on an Atomic Energy Commission Project. His correspondence with Clarence Max Fowler and other scientists on the project is extensive. His files also include working notes and drawings about their work on megagauss field magnets. While at Westinghouse, Karl Taylor Compton and Vannevar Bush frequently contacted FB in order to arrange his appointment at M.I.T. This correspondence (Series II A) includes a discussion of FB's plans for magnet research at M.I.T. FB's early correspondence with colleagues includes Nicolas Rashevsky, E. U. Condon, Karl Darrow, Felix Bloch, F. A. Fowler, John D. Cockcroft, and Fritz Zwicky. When he arrived at M.I.T. FB implemented many of his research plans and formed new ones. He was instrumental in establishing M.I.T.'s first magnet laboratory in 1938. The successful and unsuccessful grant requests in the collection (Series II A) show some of FB's ideas about water-cooled magnets. The files contain reports to Compton and Bush on the importance of developing high magnetic fields to study metals. The correspondence also documents the establishment at M.I.T. of a 2300 Volt Electrical Power Station for the first magnet laboratory and the Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel. The engineering firm of Jackson and Moreland helped to design FB's water-cooled magnets and their correspondence includes equipment information, blueprints, and sketches. FB's research files (Series IV) contain notes and notebooks dealing with both the laboratory and the development of the lab's early magnets. After World War II FB returned to M.I.T. to continue his work with magnets. He reestablished a magnet laboratory and began work on nuclear magnet resonance. His correspondence, which includes graphs, blueprints, and reports, about the magnet's design is from Arthur D. Little and Allis and Chalmers Manufacturing Company (Series II B). By 1947 M.I.T. contracted the firm of Jackson and Moreland to construct a new magnet laboratory. Some of FB's notebooks (Series IV) deal specifically with his magnetic resonance investigations. Eventually, FB's work with electromagnets resulted in an association with the Research Laboratory of Electronics. The collection contains notebooks (Series III) and FB's progress reports (Series II) about the R. L. E. In 1958 FB proposed that M.I.T. build a High Field Magnet Laboratory. His proposal, budgets, blueprints, and progress records are in Series II B. Again, Jackson and Moreland served as the engineers. In 1960 the Air Force provided funds for a National Magnet Laboratory at M.I.T. FB's close association with the development and progress of the N. M. L. is shown through his extensive correspondence about the Lab. The records include construction plans; dedication material; and memos, reports, and correspondence after the facility was in operation. The correspondence is from non-M.I.T. colleagues as well as from the N. M. L. staff, including the director, Benjamin Lax. Some of FB's manuscripts of articles and books are in Series VI along with most of his reprints. Series II B contains correspondence about his talks and the publishing of his books. This section also includes some speech manuscripts. Throughout his career FB saved his colleagues' reprints about magnets for reference; this file is in Series VII. Often there is correspondence with the same colleagues (II, B); examples are M. Alfred Kastler, P. C. Brôt, Dirk de Klerk, and Jean Brossel. FB's interest in M.I.T. students and in pedagogy in general is extensively documented in this collection. Series III contains course notes emanating from FB's research work. He also saved some of his student's papers (III and VII). The numerous files from former students (II B) show that FB maintained contact with them, especially the graduate students. Unfortunately, there is little material from FB's position as Assistant Dean of Science, other than his correspondence about doctoral candidates. From the years FB spent as master of M.I.T.'s Graduate House, there is correspondence directed to both the administra- tion and the students. FB's concern with education was never limited to M.I.T. He belonged to the Visiting Scientist program for the American Institute of Physics and for the American Association of Physics Teachers; the Advisory Board of Education for the National Research Council; the Committee on the Role of Science in American Liberal Education; and the Massachusetts Advisory Committee on Science and Mathematics. Ginn and Company used him as a consulting editor for their physics books. There are correspondence, minutes, and reports concerning all of these activities in Series II B. Two of FB's books are for high school students. Magnets and Mathematical Aspects of Physics were published by Educational Services Incorporated (ESI) for their Physical Science Study Committee (PSSC) program. Judging from the letters FB received from young admirers, these books appear to have been successful. There are also reports, agendas, and correspondence from FB's attendance at E. S. I.'s College Physics Contents Conference. Organization of CollectionOrganized into the following series: I. Biographical Material; II. Alphabetical Subject Files; III. M.I.T. Course Notes and Student Work; IV. Research Files; V. Writings; VI. Reprints by others. Access to CollectionThere are no restrictions on access to this collection. Restrictions on Use of CollectionThere are no restrictions on access to this collection. Requests for permission to publish material from the collection should be directed to the Institute Archivist. Provenance and Acquisition InformationThe Francis Bitter Papers were given to the Institute Archives and Special Collections by Donald Stevenson of the Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory sometime before 1970. A small addition was given by Clarence Max Fowler in 1981. The papers were transferred to the Institute Archives by the Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory beginning in August 1977. Accession numbers: 77-34, 77-123, 82-59 Processing InformationThis collection was processed by Mary Jane McCavitt in August 1981. Processing of the collection was funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Series Descriptions
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