Physicists Avoid Federal Research Supervision Here

Hydrogen bombs and atomic explosives are not the primary concerns of the small group of scientists who are working on various projects of the now University synchro-cyclotron on Divinity Avenue.

Norman F. Ramsey, associate professor of Physics, who is in charge of research at the Nuclear Laboratory, revealed recently that no work at all is being done with the cyclotron that directly involves atomic power.

Ramsey said: "All work on explosive utilization of atomic forces involves government supervision and secrecy. We don't want any of that here, so we are doing pure research on the behavior of the fundamental particles of nature." This is in accordance with the University's policy of not accepting "classified" projects if they require federal supervision.

Importance Unknown Now

The research now being done with the cyclotron is concerned with the nature of the atom and the attractive forces between the atom's particles. The cyclotron, opened in June, 1949, also uses protons to scatter neutrons and protons.

Ramsey had no idea as to the most important of the several projects being carried on by University physicists. "The importance of research cannot be determined while it is being done," he added, "but in ten years we will be able to view the consequences of what we have done, and see if it was worthwhile."

The new cyclotron operates at 130 million volts. It is the third largest in the country, second only to those at the University of California and the Argonne Laboratories of Chicago. The Harvard instrument was built so that it could handle projects for which the larger cyclotrons were too powerful.