urn:taro:utexas.cah.00413 A Guide to the Bryce S. DeWitt Papers, 1919, 1946-2006 May 16, 2005Encoded in XMetal 3 by Kristy Sorensen according to instructions in TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. Descriptive Summary DeWitt, Bryce S. (Bryce Seligman), 1923- Bryce S. DeWitt Papers 1919, 1946-2006 Materials are written in English. 2005-006; 2006-071; 2006-109; 2010-056; 2010-232 10 ft. Archives of American Mathematics, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History,The University of Texas at Austin Bryce S. DeWitt (1923-2004) was known for his mathematical approach to physics and his work in quantum field theory, supermanifolds, gauge theory, and relativistic astrophysics. These papers consist of general research files containing handwritten notes, correspondence, and printed material; as well as extensive documentation of the 1973 eclipse experiment. Biographical Note

Bryce S. DeWitt (1923-2004) was known for his mathematical approach to physics and his work in quantum field theory, supermanifolds, gauge theory, and relativistic astrophysics. He received all three of his degrees in physics from Harvard University (Ph.D. 1950). DeWitt was a dedicated teacher and researcher; he held positions at the Institute for Advanced Study, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before beginning his professorship at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) in 1972. At UT, DeWitt served as the director of the Center for Relativity (1972-1987), Jane and Roland Blumberg Professor of Physics (1986-2000), and Professor Emeritus (2000-2004).

DeWitt’s awards include a Dirac medal from the Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics in Italy (1987), the Pomeranchuk Prize of the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics in Moscow (2002), the Marcel Grossman Award (with Cécile DeWitt-Morette, 2002), the Einstein Prize of the American Physical Society (2005), and election to the National Academy of Sciences (1990) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2002).

In 1973 DeWitt and his wife, Cécile DeWitt-Morette, led a scientific expedition to Mauritania to test Einstein’s general relativity theory of gravity during a total solar eclipse. A series of photographic plates were taken during the eclipse and compared with a set of plates taken six months later. Analysis of these photographs later proved that the stars had been pulled out of their original paths by the sun’s gravity, just as predicted in Einstein’s theory.

Sources: Vertical file and Office of Public Affairs files at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, including: http://www.utexas.edu/cons/news/dewitt2.html

Scope and Contents

The Bryce S. DeWitt papers (1946-2006) consist of extensive documentation of the 1973 eclipse experiment, including 85 glass photographic plates taken during the period of the experiment and computer print-outs analyzing the data; course, lecture, and research notes, as well as DeWitt’s notes taken while he was a student of Julian Schwinger; his working files as they were kept at the time of his death; correspondence; manuscript sections of DeWitt’s monograph, The Global Approach to Quantum Field Theory; and other materials, largely documenting DeWitt’s career.

The glass plates are organized by size and generally include the inventory number assigned to them at the time of the experiment. These include many practice plates taken before the eclipse itself. The “suitcase plates” are the most valuable of the glass plates and were carefully escorted from the experiment site by Cécile DeWitt-Morette in a foam-padded, metal suitcase for analysis. Note that a complete log of the glass plates is available in the “Eclipse reduction notes” folder. If the dates following the plate number are in brackets, they were taken from the box in which the plate was stored or written on the plate itself, unbracketed dates are from the written log. Due to the fragile nature of the glass plates, they are available by appointment only. Please contact the archivist to set up a research time.

Forms part of the Archives of American Mathematics

 Access Restrictions

Restricted access to glass plates. All other materials unrestricted. Access to glass plates arranged by appointment only. Contact archivist for details.

 Preferred Citation

The Bryce S. DeWitt Papers, 1919, 1946-2006, and undated, Archives of American Mathematics, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

 Index Terms DeWitt, Bryce S. (Bryce Seligman), 1923- DeWitt, Cécile M. Schwinger, Julian Seymour, 1918- Ecole d’été de physique théorique (Les Houches, Haute-Savoie, France) University of Texas at Austin. Dept. of Physics Astronomical photography Physics experiments Solar eclipses--1973. Detailed Description of the Papers Series 1. Field Work Eclipse 4RM178Correspondence, printed material, and note regarding preparations [includes “Total Solar Eclipse of 30 June 1973” by Julena S. Duncombe, United States Naval Observatory Circular No. 135],September 1971-June 1973 and undated 4RM228 Chinguetti eclipse: rehearsals, audiocassette, undated Eclipse?, audiocassettes [3],June 9-30 [1973] 4RM178Eclipse reduction notes and printed material, [includes detailed log of glass plates],ca. 1973 and undated Reports and articles Solar Eclipse 1973 Bulletin, Number 5, National Science Foundation, Program for Observations of the Solar Eclipse,1973 4RM183Includes “The Story of McDonald Observatory East,” by Bryce DeWitt; “Report on the Relativity Experiment at The Solar Eclipse of 30 June 1973” by Bryce DeWitt, Richard A. Matzner, and A. H. Mikesell; and Sky and Telescope article, with related correspondence,1973-1974 Includes “Gravitational deflection of light: Solar eclipse of 30 June 1973,” Parts one and two, by the Texas Mauritanian Eclipse Team and Burton F. Jones, from The Astronomical Journal; and National Geographic Society report for NGS grant number 1186, with related correspondence,1973-1976 Sky and Telescope, vol. 47, no. 5, see “A Relativity Experiment Refurbished,” pages 301-306, May 1974 Manuscript of “Gravitational Deflection of Light, Solar Eclipse of 30 June 1973,” Parts one and two,undated Harlan’s Globetrotters: The Story of an Eclipse, by David S. Evans and Karen I. Winget,2005 Letter from Alfred Mikesell to Cécile DeWitt-Morette with comments on Harlan’s Globetrotters and the eclipse experiment,February 20, 2006 4RM133Photographs, four 8 X 10 black and white photos from the site of the experiment,[1973] 2.116/OD1199Eclipse plate finding charts, [computer print-outs] Data sheets from binder [Note: these sheets were originally together in a blue ledger-style binder with the oversized sheets folded and slipped in. The sheets have been removed from the binder and refoldered into sections that correspond to the oversized sheets. Each section includes the oversized star field and the datasheets that followed it in the original binder. The lettering convention was adopted by the archives and was not used for the original data.] [A], DEL ANP, ALF AND 44, SIG PSC, ZET AND, [four sheets taped together],July 14, 28, 30, 31, 1973 4RM55a[A], corresponding data sheets,1973 [B], EPS PSC 44,July 28, 1973 [C], NOV REF (2 copies), MAY REF, NOV REF 3, [four sheets],May 8, 9, 28, 1973 [D], DEL PSC,July 20, 1973 [E], TEX 45,August 7, 1973 [F], TXE 45,July 20, 1973 [G], ECLIPSE DEC COMPAR,January 10, 1974 [H], JUN 73 ECLIPSE,January 10, 1974 [I], MOO JUN 12 UT 23,May 23, 1973 [J], MOO JUN 13 UT 23,May 23, 1973 [K], MOO JUN 14 UT 23,May 23, 1973 [L], MOO JUN 15 UT 23,May 23, 1973 [M], MOO JUN 16 UT 23,May 23, 1973 [N], MOO JUN 17 UT 23,May 23, 1973 4RM178Plates Paper material,ca. 1973 4RM173Glass plates 8” X 10” plates #?, [part broken off],undated #1,undated #2,undated #3,undated #TXE 1,June 11, 1973 #TXE 5,June 12, 1973 #TXE 6,June 13, 1973 #TXE 8, June 13, 1973 #TXE 9,June 14, 1973 #TXE 10,June 14, 1973 #TXE 11,June 14, 1973 #TXE 19,June 19, 1973 #TXE 27,June 23, 1973 #TXE 39,June 27, 1973 4RM14012” X 12” plates #?, [Eclipse, first series],undated #?,undated #?,undated #1, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 12, 1973 #2, [22.15 written on plate, April 28, 1973 on box],November 12, 1973 #2, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 12, 1973 #3, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 12, 1973 4RM141#4, [April 28, 1973 on box],November 12, 1973 #5?, [11/11 on plate, April 28, 1973 on box],November 12, 1973 #6, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 12, 1973 #7, [12/11 on plate, April 28, 1973 on box],November 13, 1973 #11, [2/11 on plate, April 28, 1973 on box],November 13, 1973 #12, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 13, 1973 #13, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 14, 1973 4RM142#15, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 15-16, 1973 #16, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 15-16, 1973 #18, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 16, 1973 #19,November 16, 1973 #19?, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 16, 1973? #20, [6/11 on plate, October 29, 1973 on box],November 16, 1973 #21, [6/11 on plate, October 29, 1973 on box],November 16, 1973 4RM143#23, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 16, 1973 #24, [6/11 on plate, October 29, 1973 on box],November 16, 1973 #32, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 17, 1973 #33, [October 29, 1973 on box],November 17, 1973 #TP 2,undated #TXE 2,June 11, 1973 #TXE 3,June 12, 1973 4RM144#TXE 4,June 12, 1973 #TXE 7,June 13, 1973 #TXE 12,June 14, 1973 #TXE 13, [thin plate],June 15, 1973 #TXE 18, [April 28, 1973 on plate],June 19, 1973 #TXE 20,[June 19, 1973?] #TXE 21,June 21, 1973 4RM145#TXE 22, [positive?, April 28, 1973 on box],June 21, 1973 #TXE 22, [negative? July 25, 1973 written on plate, April 28, 1973 on box],June 21, 1973 #TXE 23, [thin plate, part broken off], June 21, 1973 #TXE 24,June 21, 1973 #TXE 25,June 22, 1973 #TXE 26, [April 28, 1973 on box],June 23, 1973 #TXE 30,June 25, 1973 #TXE 31,June 25, 1973 4RM170#TXE 32, June 26, 1973 #TXE 35, [thin plate],June 26, 1973 #TXE 36,June 26, 1973 #TXE 37,June 27, 1973 #TXE 38,June 27, 1973 #TXE 39, [thin plate],April 28, 1973 #TXE 42, [thin plate],June 28, 1973 #TXE 44, [April 28, 1973 on box],June 28, 1973 4RM171#TXE 45, [marked up plate],June 28, 1973 #TXE 47, [Eclipse, first series],undated 4RM55a114” X 17” plates, negatives of 1973 eclipse field from Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona #4783, [blue],April 3, 1972 #4784, [blue],April 3, 1972 #4785, [red],April 3, 1972 4RM178From “suitcase” Paper material,ca. 1973 4RM171Glass plates [all 12” X 12”] #8, [12/11 on plate, May 24, 1973 on box],November 13, 1973 #9, [12/11 on plate, May 24, 1973 on box],November 13, 1973 #10, [?/11 on plate, May 24, 1973 on box],November 13, 1973 #17, [?/11 on plate, April 18, 1973 on box],November 15-16, 1973 #22, [16/11 on plate, April 18, 1973 on box],November 16, 1973 4RM172#28, [1?/11 on plate, April 28, 1973 on box],November 17, 1973 #29, [?/11 on plate, April 28, 1973 on box],November 17, 1973 #30, [17/1 on plate, April 28, 1973 on box],November 17, 1973 #31, [17/11, with inked in labels on stars on plate, May 24, 1973 on box],November 17, 1973 #TXE 46, [“Eclipse plate,” April 28, 1973 on box],June 30, 1973 #TXE 47, [April 28, 1973 on box],June 30, 1973 #TXE 48, [April 28, 1973 on box],June 30, 1973 4RM178Broken plates Paper material,ca. 1973 4RM55hGlass plates [10.5” X 10.5”] [Note: Very Fragile] #?,undated #?, [lots of marking on plate, very broken, not taped],March 29, 1973 #3, [thin plate, 3/21/[7]3 on plate, plate taped together, one corner broken loose],March 21, 1973? 4RM233Chinguetti children singing, audiocassette,undated Chinguetti Meteorite 4RM183Correspondence and printed material,1975-1982 OD1199Two maps,undated Series 2. Notes Course notes 4RM232Les Houches “Problems,” Les Houches, handwritten notes,1963 4RM183University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “QFT – Bryce’s Notes,” [handwritten notes, probably from UNC],undated “193 PROB,” [191-192 Cécile?], [handwritten notes],undated “Physics 260,” [handwritten notes],undated 4RM184“260-261 PROB,” Quantum Mechanics [?], [handwritten notes and printed material],undated “Physics 262/263 – QED,” [handwritten notes],undated “QFT 263,” [Quantum Field Theory?], [handwritten notes],undated University of Texas at Austin “Analysis,” [handwritten notes],undated “Bryce/Jeffreys 308,” [Astronomy course], handwritten notes and printed material],1972 4RM196“Quantum Geometrodynamics,” [photocopies of student notes],1972-1973 4RM185“Classical Mechanics,” PHY385K, [photocopy of handwritten notes],spring 1994 “DIFF GEOM/REL,” [handwritten notes],undated “Point-Set Topology,” course on Topology R-Index Theorems, taught jointly with ? [see note], [photocopy of handwritten notes],undated “Quantum Field Theory I,” [handwritten notes],undated “Quantum Field Theory II,” [handwritten notes and photocopies of handwritten notes],undated 4RM186“QTE II,” [second quantization?], [photocopied notes in students’ handwriting],spring 1973 “Renormalization theory,” PHY393T, [handwritten notes and printed material],fall 1993 “Renormalization,” [PHY393T], [handwritten notes, photocopies of handwritten notes, and printed material],fall 1993 [Renormalization theory], PHY393T, [photocopy of handwritten notes],undated “SR,” Special relativity and general relativity, [handwritten notes],undated 4RM187“Topology,” [handwritten notes in Bryce DeWitt’s hand],undated Unknown location “Quantum Theory,” pp. 101-116, [copy of handwritten notes],undated “Advanced Mechanics,” [handwritten notes in BSD’s hand],undated “Classical Mechanics,” [handwritten notes],undated “Electromagnetic Theory,” [handwritten notes],undated “Quantum Mechanics I,” [handwritten notes in DeWitt’s hand],undated “Quantum Mechanics II,” [handwritten notes in DeWitt’s hand],undated 4RM188“Advanced Quantum Mechanics I,” [handwritten notes],undated “Advanced Quantum Mechanics II,” [handwritten notes],undated “Quantum Mechanics Supplement,” includes three pages of notes on “Transformation from one Hilbert Space to another,” [handwritten notes],undated 4RM196“Group Reps” [?],undated Lecture notes By Bryce DeWitt Les Houches (École de Physique des Houches) 4RM230“Quantum Mechanics,” bound,July 1953 Chapters I-III, Errata Chapters IV-X Chapters I-X Appendix, Errata 4RM231Stanford University “Lectures on Relativity,” by Bryce DeWitt,fall 1993 Institute for Theoretical Physics, unidentified title, negatives, transparencies,1993 Drexel University?, overhead transparencies,undated Unidentified locations “Quantum Theories of Gravity,”undated “Now returning to quantum mechanics…,” pages 145-158, Physics 393T “r-forms: Antisymmetric covariant,”undated Unidentified title, transparency photocopies,undated “Quantum Gravity, Yesterday and Today,”undated Unidentified title, overhead transparencies, handwritten notes,undated 4RM232By Others Les Houches “Mécanique Statistique,” L. Rosenfeld,1952 “Advanced Quantum Mechanics, Supplement” F. Dyson,1954 “The Quantum Mechanical Theory of Collisions,” R. Glauber,1954 “Notes on the Theory of Phase Transitions,” G. Uhlenbeck,1955 “The Statistical Mechanics of Non-Equilibrium Phenomena,” G. Uhlenbeck,1955 “I. Scattering Problems,” “II. Elementary Particles,” L. Rosenfeld,1957 Research notes 4RM196Research notes “Radiation Damping in a Gravitational Field,” publication number 11, [handwritten notes in DeWitt’s hand],1960 4RM197“Quantization of Geometry Worksheets,” publication number 22, [handwritten notes in DeWitt’s hand],1962 “Linearized Gravitation,” publication number 22, [handwritten notes in DeWitt’s hand],1962 “Black Hole Handbook I (copy 4),” notes by BSD and students for Num. Rel. calculation of black collisions,1972-1975 “First notes on the theory of constraints,” [handwritten notes in DeWitt’s hand, likely related to publication number 51, preliminary],[ca. 1975?] “Second notes on the theory of constraints,” [handwritten notes in DeWitt’s hand, likely related to publication number 51, preliminary],[ca. 1975?] “Quantization of nonlinear theories with constraints,” [manuscript for article, signed Bryce DeWitt, likely related to publication number 51, preliminary],[ca. 1975?] Calculation for “Quantum Field Theory in Curved Space,” publication number 51, [noted as very important by John Stachel],1975 “S U 3,” University of North Carolina?,undated 4RM198“Faddeev,” [handwritten notes],undated 4RM229[Note: these files are in the order established by DeWitt and has been maintained per Cécile DeWitt-Morette’s guidance. They are all handwritten originals.] “Quantum theory of gravity II, III (work sheets),”undated “Superspace,” [“The Geometry and Topology of “Superspace”]undated “Quantization of action-at-a-distance theories,”undated “Quantization of arbitrary machines,”undated “Nonrelativistic composite particle,”undated “World function and Van Vleck determinant on a 4-sphere,”undated “Virbein quantization of gravity,”undated “Thomas precession,”undated “Hilbert transforms,” undated “Superconductors as detectors of gravitational drag (first version),”undated “Geometrical realization of symmetries,”undated “Charged vector boson,”undated “Quantum theory of gravity I (work sheets),”undated “Functional,”undated “Gauge invariant Quantum Electrodynamics,”undated “The quantum theory of interacting gravitational and spinor fields,”undated 4RM189Bryce S. DeWitt's student notes “An Outline of the Elementary Theories of Specific Heats,” [term paper?],1946 Julian Schwinger “Electromagnetic theory of light,”1946 Notes on Schwinger lectures and reprints by Schwinger on quantized fields,1951-1954 and undated “Quantum Field Theory I,”undated “Quantum Field Theory II,” “Meson Theories of Nuclear Forces, expanded reading notes… Physics 20c, now 307,”undated “Scattering Theory,”undated Series 3. Working Files 4RM174[Note: The following were Bryce DeWitt’s working files at the time of his death.] Research files Topology [?],undated Bryce DeWitt [Includes “Research Problems,” “Examples for Book,” “The Zeta Function,” and notes on quantization of open strings in Minkowski operations],undated [Includes reprints by Bryce S. DeWitt, drafts and notes],1967, 1989-1998 and undated Early notes, [also includes correspondence with Chun-Yen Wang, “Detonation Hydrodynamics,” and “’High Energy Nuclear Events’ by Enrico Fermi, report by Bryce DeWitt, winter 1950, Tata Institute, Bombay”],ca. 1950 and undated 4RM55cOversized graphs,undated 4RM174Schwinger, Julian [Printed material and notes],1951 and undated [Pre-prints and report],1952 and undated Feynman, Richard,1961-1981 Coleman, Sidney,1973-1982 and undated Vilkovisky, G. A.,1983-1999 and undated 4RM175Vilkovisky, G. A.,1983-1999 and undated Avramidi, I. G.,1990-1999 Dowker, J. S., et al, [papers by Dowker and others],1970-1997 and undated DeWitt-Morette, Cécile, [including path integration],1976-1983 and undated Isham, C. J.,August 1992 ‘t-Hooft, G.,1973 Woodard, R. P.,1996-2001 λ φ4 (lambda phi – 4th model in four dimensions), [includes grant proposal, printed material and correspondence],1980-1989, 2002-2003 and undated Infrared catastrophe,undated Change of interpolating field,1961-1976, 1991-2001 and undated Simple models,undated Anomalies,1978-1995 and undated 4RM176Yang-Mills and topology, [includes I. M. Singer’s “The Geometry of the Orbit Space for Nonabelian Gauge Theories”],1978-1984 Two loops,1992 and undated Effective action and miscellaneous,1989-1997 and undated Black hole evaporation,1985-1994 and undated Hawking radiation,1993-1999 In-In, [correspondence with Tim Gallivan],August 1994 Index theorem,1978-1994 4RM177Index theorem,1978-1994 1/8 R, [includes handwritten calculations of 2 loop effects],undated No-ghost papers,1997 and undated No-ghost calculations, [work with Carmen Molina-París],undated No-ghosts, Vikovisky-DeWitt,1987-1988 and undated Worksheets for book,undated Geometry of 3-geometries,undated Many histories,1971, 1991-1992 Positivity of energy,1979-1983 Personal notes Set theory, undated 4RM178Semi-simple lie algebras and topological groups,undated Topology I and II, class notes,undated Series 4. Publications By Bryce DeWitt 4RM228The Global Approach to Quantum Field Theory “The Global Approach, Corrected Sections”- table of contents, “Black Hole Vacua. Hawking Radiation,” note to Colleen McMillan Handwritten manuscript photocopy [Note: the order in which the manuscript was found in the box has been maintained. Sections that were found clipped together are indicated.] Pages 206-277, 1-23f (clipped together),undated “Part VII: Special Topics,”undated Pages 24-455,undated Pages 535-539, 70-149,undated Pages 126-143, 1-38,undated Appendix C; “35. The Yang-Mills and gravitational fields,”undated “35. The Yang-Mills and gravitational fields,” pages 691-756,undated “9. The relativistic particle…”,undated Corrections to manuscript 4RM178 “God’s Rays,” and “Readers Respond to ‘God’s Rays,’” from Physics Today online, published posthumously,January, June 2005 Sopra un Raggio di Luce, by Bryce S. DeWitt [a memoir], published by Di Renzo Editore,2005 4RM189 Translations by DeWitt Bohr-Rosenfeld Paper (translation by Bryce Dewitt), The Quantization of Geometry, “On the Question of the Measurability of the Electromagnetic Field Strengths,”undated 4RM233By others, related to DeWitt’s work [Note: Some of the documents were compiled after DeWitt’s death by Cécile DeWitt-Morette] Articles, papers,1944-2007 4RM232Letter to H. J. Treder concerning The Meaning of Quantum Gravity,December 6, 1988 Series 5. Institutes UNC Institute of Field Physics 4RM196From binder, [including material on Agnew Hunter Bahnson, Jr.],1955-1965 3W111Photograph, [from Agnew Hunter Bahnson, Jr. Professorship of Physics program?],March 13, 1965? 4RM198Unfiled material from Scrapbook [see Personal for other material] UNC Institute of Field Physics,1956-1983 and undated Battelle Memorial Institute’s Seattle Research Center,1967 Les Houches Physics School,undated Series 6. Interviews 4RM232Interview: DeWitt and John Wheeler talking in Mazagon, Spain, audiocassette, note,1991 Series 7. Conferences 4RM232Conferences: programs, participant list, correspondence,1994-1998, 2007 Series 8. Work by Others 4RM232"Everett [Hugh]" – documents related to DeWitt’s work,2000-2001, undated Letter from Robert Herman to Jean Leray,September 19, 1981 Series 9. Professional Documentation 4RM196Annual faculty report,1979 Curriculum vitae [working copy, annotated by John Stachel, includes publication numbers],2004 Series 10. Personal 4RM198Unfiled material from Scrapbook Cécile DeWitt-Morette, 1961 4RM233Emails, printouts made by family members concerning DeWitt,2007 Restricted. Oral history: DeWitt interviewed by Nicolette DeWitt, mini-digital video cassettes, circa 2004 [currently, these tapes cannot be viewed due to lack of playback equipment] 2.351 (Math office)Restricted. Scrapbook [currently restricted for preservation]: newspaper clippings, conference program,1955-1957