Bernard Waldman

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Bernard Waldman
Los Alamos Laboratory
University of Notre Dame
Michigan State University
Thesis The Resonance Processes in the Disintegration of Boron by Protons  (1939)

Bernard Waldman (October 12, 1913 – November 1, 1986) was an American physicist who flew on the Hiroshima atomic bombing mission as a cameraman during World War II.

A graduate of

Trinity nuclear test, and served on Tinian with Project Alberta
.

After the war he returned to Notre Dame. He was director of the Midwestern Universities Research Association Laboratory from 1960 to 1964, dean of its Notre Dame College of Science at Notre Dame from 1967 to 1979, and associate director of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory from 1979 to 1983.

Early life and education

Bernard Waldman was born in New York City on October 12, 1913. He attended New York University, from which he received Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.[1] His thesis, on "The Resonance Processes in the Disintegration of Boron by Protons",[2] formed the basis of a paper published in the Physical Review. His research supported the estimates of J. Robert Oppenheimer and Robert Serber.[3]

Although he was a

Congregationalist, Waldman joined the faculty of the University of Notre Dame in 1938. He became an assistant professor in 1941.[1]

Manhattan Project

During

Norman F. Ramsey's E-7 Group, which was part of the Ordnance (O) Division responsible for "integration of design and delivery". Most of the work involved preparing and checking instrumentation from drop tests involving dummy bombs.[5]

Luis W. Alvarez (top right) and Lawrence H. Johnston
(bottom left)

Waldman was the head of Group TR-6 (Airborne Measurements) for the

atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as a camera operator on the observation aircraft. He was equipped with a special high-speed Fastax movie camera with six seconds of film in order to record the blast. Sources vary on how it came to be that there is no film of the event, with theories stating that Waldman forgot to take the lens off of the camera or that the footage was unusable or destroyed due to circumstances outside of his control. [7][8]

Later life

After the war ended, Waldman returned to Notre Dame, where he continued his research into the

X-rays in 1949.[1] In 1960, Waldman took a sabbatical from Notre Dame to become director of the Midwestern Universities Research Association (MURP) Laboratory. He set about fixing problems with the 50 MeV accelerator. These were resolved, but the Federal Government declined to fund MURP's activities, and Walden returned to Notre Dame in 1964.[4] Waldman was appointed dean of Notre Dame's College of Science in 1967. He held this position August, 1979, when he retired at the age of 65. He then became as associate director of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University, a position he held until 1983.[1]

Waldman died in a hospital in

Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, and he was interred in its Cedar Grove Cemetery.[9] His papers are in the University of Notre Dame Archives.[10]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Bomb Physicist Bernard Waldman". Chicago Tribune. November 16, 1986. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  2. ^ "Bernard Waldman - PhD" (PDF). University of Notre Dame. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  3. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.54.1017
    .
  4. ^ a b c Jones et al. 2010, p. 102.
  5. ^ a b Wiescher, Philipp. "Early Days of Nuclear Physics at Notre Dame and the Manhattan Project" (PDF). University of Notre Dame. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2005. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  6. ^ "The Manhattan Project". Array of Contemporary American Physicists. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  7. ^ McLellan, Dennis. "George Marquardt, U.S. war pilot over Hiroshima, dies at 84". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  8. ^ Alvarez & Trower 1987, p. 66.
  9. ^ "Atomic Bomb Scientist Bernard Waldman dies". Star-News. Nov 13, 1986. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  10. ^ "Bernard Waldman Papers". University of Notre Dame. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.

References
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