Physics Professor Rubin H. Landau joined the faculty of Oregon State University in 1974. In addition to his research on high-energy particle-nucleus scattering and quantum mechanics, Landau taught and developed an undergraduate degree program in computational physics, a topic on which he has written several books. From 1996 until his retirement in 2005, Landau had a joint appointment in the Physics and Computer Science Departments. Landau earned a BS from Cornell University in 1965 and graduate degrees from the University of Illinois in 1966 (MS) and 1970 (Ph.D.).
The Rubin H. Landau Papers consist of materials generated and assembled by Landau as a physics professor at Oregon State University and document his research, writing, and teaching activities. The collection includes article reprints and conference papers; biographical materials; books; correspondence; presentations and talks; grant proposals; student assessments of teaching and course materials; reference materials; research notebooks; and computer code.
The correspondence documents Landau's interactions with OSU faculty and off-campus colleagues and pertains to the review and publication of Landau's research and the funding and purchase of research equipment. It also includes letters of recommendation for former students and requests to Landau for reviews of books and articles.
The grant proposals are predominantly for research funding but also document the development of a degree program in computational physics. These records include proposals as well as progress and final reports. Course materials are for general physics, modern physics, mathematical physics, relativity, dynamics and classical dynamics, and advanced quantum theory.
The research notebooks document research conducted by Landau and graduate students that he advised. Research topics include proton nucleus scattering, quark models, kaon scattering, pion scattering from nucleons/nuclei, and relativistic heavy ions. The computer code was written by Landau for programs to solve integral forms of the Schroedinger Equation for scattering and bound states.
The compact discs contain course materials, talks, computer programs, and a curriculum vita.
Collection is open for research.
Rubin H. Landau Papers, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.
This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary. Labels from research notebooks were photocopied by Archives staff, annotated by Landau with additional information regarding the research topic and names of collaborators, and placed into the folders housing the contents from the notebooks.
The papers were donated to the Archives in 2008.
The Archives holdings include the