Subterranean Pit Under Jefferson is Workshop of Physicist Carrying on Elaborate Research in Band Spectra

Working in the "pit," a windowless sub-cellar of the Jefferson Physical Laboratory. Dr. Robert S. Mulliken, National Research Fellow has for the past five months been carrying out elaborate researches in band spectra, almost unknown to the University at large.

When interviewed in his subterranean laboratory yesterday. Mr. Mulliken said that he had been started upon his research by an article published in 1915 by Dr. W. Jevons, a noted English scientist. In this article Jevons had described his observations of the band spectra of boron nitride; he had measured the heads of two systems of spectrum bands of boron nitride and located two subsidiary systems of bands and also extra bands apparently filling no system.

On reading this article, Dr. Mulliken, who has previously studied isotopes at the University of Chicago, began his experiments in Cambridge to prove that the unrelated spectrum bands were due to the isotopes of the boron atom.

The boron chloride employed by Dr. Mulliken is similar to that used by Professor G. P. Baxter '96 in his recent experiments to determine for the first time accurate atomic weight of boron.

Dr. Mulliken has contributed a special article on his research to the issue of "Science" for August '31, and plans to publish a treatise on his experiments as soon as he completes his experiments.