Oral history interview with David Todd Wilkinson, 1984 September 27.

  1. Resources
  2. View Resource

ArchivalResource

Oral history interview with David Todd Wilkinson, 1984 September 27.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/81993815

Family background and early education; undergraduate studies in engineering at University of Michigan, faculty who influenced him; doctoral thesis at University of Michigan with Richard Crane on the g-2 experiment. Postdoctoral instructor; decision to work with Robert Dicke on gravitation at Princeton; funding in the Princeton Department, faculty, the ongoing NSF grant for Gravity, Relativity and Cosmology research. The lunar ranging experiment; assembling the team, background observations with balloons and COBE, construction for the 1969 Apollo flight. Studies in black-body radiation generated by Dicke, 1964; Wilkinson joins project with Peter Roll and James Peebles; building microwave apparatus, need for helium load, mapping the horn and measuring insertion loss. Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias at Bell Laboratories publish background radiation papers ahead of Dicke's team, other researchers on the topic: Ralph Alpher, Robert Herman, James Follin, George Gamow, Joseph Weber. The American Physical Society (APS) meeting in 1966, measurements from Dicke's group confirms Penzias/Wilson support of big bang theory. Further discussion on lunar ranging, measuring gravitation, the Nordvedt effect, optical measurements with Roger Dube and Bill Wickes, Steve Boughn and Peter Saulson on infrared background measurements. Paper with Mark Davis (1974). Formation of young galaxies, ongoing DIRBE (Diffuse Infrared Background Explorer) on COBE (Cosmic Background Exteriment) designed to measure background radiation over wide spectral range. CO measurements at high galactic latitude looking for dust clouds. CCD photometry by Ed Loh, find scale anistropy on NRAO maser with Juan Uson, large scale anistropy measurements. Discovery of dipole anistropy by Paul Henry and later confirmations, disconfirmation of quadropole effect. Plans for future work: g-2 experiments, measuring g and creating new infrared detector, search for low mass stars. Effects of being a physicist on his family life, hobbies, upcoming second marriage.

Transcript, 75 pp.

American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 8274284

Related Entities

There are 16 Entities related to this resource.

Bell Telephone Laboratories, inc.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6650fn9 (corporateBody)

Alpher, Ralph

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w69s1sbx (person)

Ralph Alpher, 1921- ; Robert Herman, 1914-1997. From the description of Oral history interview with Ralph Alpher and a joint interview with Robert Herman, 1983 August 11 and 12. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 82797962 ...

Herman, Robert, 1914-....

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6v98b36 (person)

National Radio Astronomy Observatory (U.S.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64x96dn (corporateBody)

Gamow, George, 1904-1968

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6154j8k (person)

George Gamow: physicist, astronomer, and author. Born Georgii Antonovič Gamov. Barbara Merrihew Perkins: editor and translator. From the description of George Gamow and Barbara Gamow papers, 1915-1975 (bulk 1950-1975). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70981157 Russian-born American physicist, early advocate of the "Big Bang" theory of the origin of the universe. Professor of Physics at George Washington University, 1934-1956. While a student at the Institute of Theoretical Ph...

Dicke, Robert H. (Robert Henry)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6g168ht (person)

Dicke was born in 1916; died in 1997. From the description of Response to Laser History Project Survey, 1983. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 83716264 ...

Wilson, Robert Woodrow, 1936-....

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6jd4znj (person)

Crane, H. R. (Horace Richard), 1907-2007

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ww7jvb (person)

Physicist; professor of physics at the University of Michigan. From the description of H.R. Crane photograph series. 1930s-1970s. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 49319522 From the description of H. R. Crane papers, 1897-2000 (bulk 1933-1995) (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 80045103 ...

Princeton University

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63z1x39 (corporateBody)

The collection documents the physical expansion of the University from its earliest period through the acquisition of large tracts of land in the 20th century, including the properties around Carnegie Lake and numerous farms. Early records document transactions with such Princeton University notables as Nathaniel Fitz Randolph, John Witherspoon, Walter Minto, John and Richard Stockton, and John Maclean. For the most part, the papers consist of standard legal documents with detailed descriptions ...

American physical society

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6pg5mr2 (corporateBody)

This professional society of educators, industrial and government research workers, and students of physics and related fields, was established in 1899 to promote the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physics. It was a founding Member Society of the American Institute of Physics. The Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) Study was commissioned by the American Physical Society on November 20, 1983 to evaluate the status of the science and technology of DEW. A study group was formed by Novembe...

Wilkinson, David T.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65b0482 (person)

David T. Wilkinson (1935-2002) Physicist (microwave radiation). Professor, Princeton University. Deceased 2002. From the description of Oral history interview with David Todd Wilkinson, 1984 September 27. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 81993815 ...

Harwit, Martin, 1931-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6rn39hs (person)

Astrophysicist. Martin Harwit served as professor of astronomy at Cornell University and as co-director of the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology Program. In 1987 he was appointed director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. He received a Ph.D. in physics in 1960 from M.I.T. and taught at Cornell since 1962. Harwit's research interests have included observational astronomy, theoretical astrophysics, infrared astronomy, galaxy formation, and the history o...

Penzias, Arno A.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65q4xbs (person)

Astrophysicist. From the description of Papers of Arno A. Penzias. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71208767 Biographical Note 1933, April 26 Born, Munich, Germany 1939 Fled with family from Germany to England 1940 Immigrated to the Uni...

Peebles, P. J. E. (Phillip James Edwin)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fb55p7 (person)

Cosmology and quantum mechanics. Prof., Princeton University from 1961. From the description of Oral history interview with Jim Peebles, 2002 April 4, 5. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 83622729 ...

University of Michigan.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6f803v2 (corporateBody)

Outside of museum holdings, no comprehensive survey and inventory of campus artwork had been attempted since 1937. With support from the Michigan Commission on Art in Public Places, 1,076 items were inventoried during 1988-1990. Additional inventory work was undertaken in 1997-1998 for risk management purposed, but generated little new information. From the description of Inventory of University of Michigan-owned art, 1988-1990, 1997-1998. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id...

Weber, J. (Joseph), 1919-2000

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bz68f0 (person)

Joseph Weber (1919-2000). From the description of Oral history interview with Joseph Weber, 1983 April 8. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 81003959 Joseph Weber was born in Paterson, N. J. in 1919. After working on radar technology in the Navy during World War II, he joined the University of Maryland as a professor of electrical engineering in 1948. He was the first scientist to work out the theoretical concept of a maser (a proto-laser), though he did not build one. He later ...