James Robert Atkinson, MA,

FInstP Fellowship of the Institute of Physics (FInstP) is "the highest level of membership attainable" by physicists who are members of the Institute of Physics (IoP), "for those with a degree in physics or related subject (or equivalent knowledge gained ...

, FRSE, FRMetS (17 February 1916 – 9 May 2008) was a British physicist.Times Online Obituary
/ref>

Career

On graduating from St John's College, Cambridge in 1938 he took a research post at the Air Ministry Research Establishment in

Bawdsey Bawdsey is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, eastern England. Located on the other side of the river Deben from Felixstowe, it had an estimated population of 340 in 2007, reducing to 276 at the Census 2011. Bawdsey Manor is notable as the ...

ManorBatt, Reg, "''The Radar Army: Winning the War of the Airwaves''", Robert Hale Ltd. 1991 where he carried out research into ‘afterglow’

Cathode Ray Tubes A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms (oscilloscope), pictur ...

, later taking on a special assignment to upgrade the Chain Home radar stations. In 1940 he joined the

Telecommunications Research Establishment The Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) was the main United Kingdom research and development organization for radio navigation, radar, infra-red detection for heat seeking missiles, and related work for the Royal Air Force (RAF) ...

(TRE) where he worked on research into 10 cm, 3 cm and 1 cm wave radar later going on to work on research into super-refraction phenomena and infra red detectors for scope guided missile weapons. After the war he joined Glasgow University’s Natural Philosophy department under Professor Philip Dee and between 1945 and 1958 he worked on expansion, diffusion and

bubble chamber A bubble chamber is a vessel filled with a superheated transparent liquid (most often liquid hydrogen) used to detect electrically charged particles moving through it. It was invented in 1952 by Donald A. Glaser, for which he was awarded the 1 ...

s investigating nuclear

photodisintegration Photodisintegration (also called phototransmutation, or a photonuclear reaction) is a nuclear process in which an atomic nucleus absorbs a high-energy gamma ray, enters an excited state, and immediately decays by emitting a subatomic particle. The ...

gamma rays A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

. In 1958 he took up a post at UKAEA

Dounreay Dounreay (; gd, Dùnrath) is a small settlement and the site of two large nuclear establishments on the north coast of Caithness in the Highland area of Scotland. It is on the A836 road west of Thurso. The nuclear establishments were create ...

where he took charge of the testing reactor.NASA Technical Memorandum X-884
/ref> Moving on in 1966 he became Assistant Director at the British Ship Research Association working on research into ship architecture, vibration and noise. In 1976 he joined the Institute of Offshore Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh where he pursued research into wave energy before retiring in 1979.

References

External links

Bawdsey ManorBawdsey Radar GroupThe Heritage of Particle Physics in GlasgowThe Herald ObituaryTimes Online Obituary

Bibliography

*J R Atkinson ''et al.'' 1938
The accuracy of rectifier-photoelectric cells
', Proceedings of the. Physics. Society Vol. 50 No.6 p. 934-946 *J R Atkinson & A f Howartson 1951
Nuclear Scattering of Electrons and Positrons in Argon
', Philosophical Magazine 42, p. 1136-45 (October 1951) *J R Atkinson 1955
Condensation Nuclei by U.V. Light
', Geofisica pura e applicata 31, p. 54 *J R Atkinson & A J Barnard 1952

', Nature 169, p. 170 - 173 (2 February 1952) *J R Atkinson ''et al.'' 1956
The Photodisintegration of Nitrogen
', Proceedings of the. Physics. Society Vol.A 69 No.2 p. 77-92 *J R Atkinson 1958 ''Education in the Atom Age III: Stepping Up the Output of Scientists and Technologists'', The Scottish Educational Journal Vol. 41 p. 13-17 (3 January 1958) *J R Atkinson ''et al.'' 1960
Scattering of Electrons and Positrons by Xenon and Mercury
', Proceedings of the. Physics. Society Vol.75 No.3 p. 447-449 *J R Atkinson 1972
An Integrated Approach to Design and Production
', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences Vol. 273 p. 99-118 {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, James 1916 births 2008 deaths English physicists Radar pioneers Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge People from Malvern, Worcestershire Academics of the University of Glasgow