Kevin H. Prendergast papers, 1954-1990

Kevin H. Prendergast papers, 1954-1990

Summary Information

At a Glance

Call No.:
MS#1023
Bib ID:
5490814 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Prendergast, Kevin H., 1929-2004
Repository:
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Physical Description:
20 linear feet (48 boxes)
Language(s):
English .
Access:
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This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Description

Summary

Correspondence, manuscripts, lectures, notes, and printed materials of Kevin H. Prendergast, a prominent astronomer who worked in the fields off dynamics of many-body systems, the rotation curves of galaxies, and X-ray binary systems.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into 12 series.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Kevin H. Prendergast papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

2004-2005-M35: Source of acquisition--Jane Prendergast. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--2/1/2005.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed Wei-Hwan Chiang 10/2005.

Revision Description

2010-02-24 Legacy finding aid created from Pro Cite.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Biographical / Historical

Prendergast received his Ph.D. at Columbia in 1954 and then went to the University of Chicago, returning to Columbia as a professor in 1962. He chaired the Columbia astronomy department from 1978 to 1984, retiring in 2000 with a long trail of successful young theorists in his wake. Prendergast was an icon in the field of dynamics of many-body systems. He also was well known for a series of papers in the 1960s and 1970s, written with Geoffrey and Margaret Burbidge, on understanding the rotation curves of galaxies. Numerous theoretical studies of the structure of galaxies followed, and he was a pioneer in the study of X-ray binary systems. In addition to Prendergast's professional accomplishments, he was also a skilled pianist and an avid sailor. During his long career, Prendergast became famous for using yellow legal pads, on which he had scrawled analyses of many problems in astronomical dynamics. His classes were renowned for the exactitude of his standards and the high percentage of faculty in attendance. During one year, regularly attending faculty outnumbered students.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Name
Columbia University. Department of Astronomy
Subject
Asteroids
Barred galaxies -- Rotation
Cosmology
Dwarf galaxies
Galactic dynamics
Spiral galaxies -- Rotation
Stars -- Clusters
Stellar dynamics
X-ray binaries
X-ray sources, Galactic -- Accretion

Series I: Personal


Subseries I.1: Photography


Box 1

Photograph (1)


Subseries 1.2: Correspondence


Box 1

Chandra


Box 1

Contopolous


Box 1

Penthame


Box 1

Pesch, Peter


Box 1

Slyz, Adrianne


Box 1

Spiegel, Edward


Box 2

Xu, Kun

Series II: Astronomy


Subseries II.1: Cosmology


Box 3

Equations about cosmology, 166 pages


Subseries II.2: Dynamics of Galaxies: General


Box 3

Galactic Dynamics


Box 3

Gravitational slab problem


Box 3

One-dimensional self-gravitating gas


Box 3

Time dependent one-dimensional stellar system


Box 3

Self consistent galaxy models (axisymmetric)


Box 4

Instability of rings (of mass)


Box 4

Computer simulation of galactic evolution


Box 4

Stochastic star formation in disk galaxies (mathematical description of a game theory)


Box 4

Stellar dynamics with star formation


Box 4

"Oseen" approximation based on streamlines, etc.


Box 4

Theoretical studies of M101


Subseries II.3: Dynamics of Galaxies: Spiral Galaxies


Box 5

Linear spiral structure


Box 5

Stability of spiral arm shocks


Box 5

Thin gas disk: asymptotic theory of spiral arms (warped disk as finite system of coupled rings)


Box 5

Spiral Arm Problems: Linblad Resonance


Subseries II.4: Dynamics of Galaxies: Barred Spiral Galaxies


Box 5

Barred Spirals, [1974?]


Box 5

Barred Spirals


Box 6

Barred spiral galaxies (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII), (1960s, 1970s)


Box 6

Barred spiral galaxies—some plots & shock waves in barred spiral galaxies


Box 6

Barred spirals Roche modes


Box 6

Gradient wind approximation


Box 6

Potential of oblate spheroid


Box 6

Symmetry properties


Box 7

Theoretical studies of gas flow in barred spiral galaxies


Box 7

Barred spiral shocks


Box 7

Barred spiral galaxies: material for a talk based on a paper on "Theoretical studies of gas flows in barred spiral galaxies" by K. Prendergast


Box 7

Barred spiral galaxies [talk], Yale, 1978


Box 7

Talk given by Kevin Prendergast on barred spiral galaxies, 1982


Subseries II.5: Dynamics of Galaxies: Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies (and Elliptical Galaxies)


Box 7

Dwarf elliptical galaxies--analytical approximation (two-fluid with gravity)


Box 8

Two-fluid spherical models


Box 8

Analytic approximation, two-fluid with gravity


Box 8

Modeling the formation of elliptical and dwarf galaxies using a spheroidal two-fluid system with self-gravity


Box 8

Numerical Simulations of the Formation of Dwarf Ellipticals (I,II, III, IV, V)


Box 8

Marseille collaboration papers (published)


Box 9

Marseille


Box 10

Marseille


Box 11

Marseille


Box 12

Marseille


Box 13

Marseille


Box 14

Marseille numerical simulation results and some theoretical analysis of those models


Box 15

Marseille numerical simulations


Box 16

Marseille numerical simulations


Box 17

Marseille numerical simulations


Box 18

Marseille numerical simulation results performed at Marseille Observatory, France (collaborators Lia Athanassoula et al.), 1988


Box 18

Numerical models (including programs) and results for one-dimensional two-fluid (Cartesian grid) and Marseille models


Box 18

Dwarf galaxies formation models (Marseille 1994) and other numerical modeling results (including programs)


Box 19

Various numerical simulation results of the Marseille collaboration [mostly in the form of diagrams]


Box 19

Marseille Observatory simulation results used for Columbia Astrofest talk, 1996


Box 19

Dwarf elliptical galaxy formation, talk given at Columbia, 1990


Subseries II.6: Dynamics of Galaxies: Star-Gas Interactions in Galaxies


Box 19

Two-fluid (stars and gas) linear stability analysis, 1980


Box 19

Two-fluid hydrodynamic model, 1978


Box 19

3-fluid model (gas, high mass star, low mass star)


Box 20

Two-fluid star-gas model [talk], Charlottesville, Virginia


Box 19

Talk given at European Southern Observatory, Munich, Germany


Subseries II.7: Star Clusters


Box 20

Escape of stars from clusters: statistical mechanical approach, 1980s


Subseries II.8: Accretion Disks


Box 20

X-ray generation in accretion disk in binary systems, gas streams in close binary systems


Box 20

Binary Stellar Systems


Subseries II.9: Asteroid


Box 21

Asteroid, 1950s


Box 21

Rotating asteroid, 1950s


Box 21

Rotating asteroid (I, II, III, IV, V), 1950


Subseries II.10: Few- and N-body Problems, and Celestial Mechanics


Box 22

Statistics of the gravitational three- and four-body problems


Box 22

Statistics of three-body problem


Box 23

N-body problem, 1970


Box 23

Large N problems (N-particle systems)


Box 23

N-Body, NYU, 1980


Box 23

Celestial mechanics I


Box 23

Celestial mechanics II


Subseries II.11: Hydrodynamics, Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, and Gas-Kinetic Theory


Box 24

A series of analytic studies (notebooks I-VI) on hydrodynamics, as moment equations of the Boltzmann equation


Box 24

Singularities of one dimensional hydrodynamic system using pseudo Liouville equation


Box 24

Gravity in the BGK scheme for hydrodynamics


Box 24

Solution of the Krook equation at shock


Box 24

Collisional hydrodynamic scheme (CHS)—theoretical derivation of the method


Box 25

Radial flow


Box 25

Wave-driven winds—several manuscripts


Box 25

Breaking waves, 1984


Box 25

Nonlinear convection, [1980s?]


Box 25

Nonlinear convection—rational approximation, [1981?]


Box 25

Turbulence sphere, 1970s


Box 26

Angular momentum (of turbulent fluid)


Box 26

Hydrodynamics—variational principle


Box 26

Burger's equation


Box 26

Burger's equation—singularities (inviscid)


Box 26

Burger's equation—two-dimensional inviscid


Box 27

Burger's equation with viscosity and potential


Box 27

Burger's equation (two-dimensional inviscid)—singularities (talk given at Columbia)


Box 27

Gas Kinetic Theory in General (including Radiative Transfer)


Box 27

Hydrodynamics in General


Subseries II.12: Magnetohydrodynamics


Box 27

Hydromagnetic similarity solutions I, 1975


Box 27

Hydromagnetic similarity solutions II


Box 27

Axisymmetric time-dependent self-similar force-free fields


Box 27

Force-free fields (axisymmetric)

Series III: Dynamical Systems and Applied Mathematics


Box 28

Hamiltonian system (H=1⁄2(X.2+Y.2+X2+Y2)+X2Y)


Box 28

Variational principle for Hamiltonian systems and vanishing Henyey determinant, [1980s?]


Box 28

Duffing equation


Box 29

Duffing with driving


Box 29

Duffing equation: NR correction


Box 29

Duffing, van der Pol—high order approximation (rational approximation, [1980s?]


Box 29

Van der Pol oscillator, [1980s?]


Box 29

Van der Pol oscillator


Box 29

Hamilton-Jacobi equation


Box 29

Fourier-Pade (x..+x7=0), higher order correction


Box 29

Fourier-Pade equation


Box 29

Fourier Pade equation ( (x..+x3=0), higher order correction


Box 30

Fourier-Pade integration


Box 30

Pade: 2D: ordinary differential equations of higher order, 1D: quadratic, etc.


Box 30

Mathieu equation


Box 30

Mathieu equation: two-point approximation


Box 30

kdV equation with implicit function


Box 30

Liouville equation


Box 30

Liouville equation (Woods Hole), 1969


Box 30

Eckonal equation


Box 30

Rational approximation near w=0 (potential maximum)


Box 30

Rational-function orbits


Box 31

Rational approximation for a Hamiltonian system


Box 31

Rational approximation for non-linear ordinary differential equations


Box 31

"N/D"—rational approximation


Box 31

Discussion on the paper "Rational Approximations for a Hamiltonian System"


Box 31

Non-linear approximation: general discussions


Box 31

Non-linear approximation for ordinary differential equation


Box 31

Non-linear approximation for periodic orbits in a Hamiltonian System


Box 32

Non-linear oscillations


Box 32

Non-linear dynamics


Box 32

Singular point approximation—solution of D.E. at an assumed pole, [1980s?]


Box 32

Singularities and bifurcation


Box 32

(Equation) periodic solutions


Box 32

Bifurcation and vanishing of Henyey matrix and other difference equations


Box 32

"Implicit" form of solutions to ordinary difference equations


Box 32

Difference equations with noise


Box 32

Stretched coordinate systems


Box 32

Miscellaneous


Box 32

Talk on Non-linear mechanics (Fourier-Pade), New York University

Series IV: Numerical Hydrodynamics


Box 33

Numerical hydrodynamics: beam schemes


Box 33

Beam scheme


Box 33

Continuous beam scheme


Box 33

Three-dimensional axisymmetric cylindrical beam scheme with body force


Box 34

Numerical Hydrodyamics from gas-kinetic theory


Box 34

Numerical Navier-Stokes solution from gas-kinetic theory-K Xu, and K Prendergast


Box 34

Numerical Navier-Stokes solution from gas-kinetic theory—Kun Xu and Kevin Prendergast


Box 34

Paper II: final copy


Box 34

Paper II: KX and KHP Navier-Stokes Paper


Box 34

Applied Math Seminar Notes (non-linear equations)


Box 35

Numerical Hydro-Spare


Box 35

Miscellaneous notes on non-linear dynamics and hydrodynamics Codes


Box 35

Difference scheme from Hamiltonian principle


Box 35

Talk given at Supercomputer Conference, Santa Clara, 1989


Box 35

Numerical hydrodynamics—talks at, Woods Hole & Columbia University, 7/25/2000 & 9/27/2000


Box 35

Applied Math Seminar Notes (non-linear equations)

Series V: Applications of Hydrodynamics and Rarified Gas Dynamics


Box 35

Slider bearing (for IBM Research), 1980s


Box 35

Long mean-free-path approximation for slider bearing, 1980s


Box 36

Viscous flow with surface tension (for IBM Research, [1980s?]


Box 36

Water waves (test cases) (for IBM Research), 1980

Series VI: Miscellaneous


Box 36

Optics (and singularities)—Catastrophe Optics?, 1980


Box 36

Spectral Line Formation


Box 36

Photoelectrical Photometry


Box 36

Thomas-Fermi quantization


Box 36

Computation of curves of constant P (a,b,c)


Box 36

Statistics


Box 36

Research Proposals: National Science Foundation

Series VII: Published Papers


Box 37

KHP Bibliography


Box 37

Reprints of K Prendergast


Box 37

Marseille Collaboration Papers


Box 37

Prendergast, Kevin On the color-magnitude diagram of the globular cluster Centauri, 1954, Ph.D. thesis


Box 38

Some published papers related to two-fluid model for stars and gas in galaxies


Box 38

Nature of some X-Ray sources, 1968


Box 38

Some published papers of galactic dynamics


Box 38

Preprints of various published papers by K. Prendergast


Box 38

University of Paris symposium on numerical simulation of formation and evolution of elliptical galaxies


Box 38

Tsiang, Eugene Yu-Kong The accretion disk model of X-ray stars, Columbia University, 1977, Ph.D. thesis


Box 38

Numerical hydrodynamic solutions based on BGK


Box 39

Xu, Kun Numerical hydrodynamics from gas-kinetic theory, Columbia University, [n.d.], Ph.D. thesis


Box 39

Gravitational potential of a disk spiral galaxy—B. Barbanis and K. Prendergast


Box 39

Time-Independent Gravitational Fields in the BGK Scheme for Hydrodynamics (Slyz, Prendergast)

Series VIII: Lecture Notes


Subseries VIII.1: Graduate School Courses (developed by K. Prendergast)


Box 39

Mechanics (Vol I, II)


Box 39

Classical mechanics


Box 39

Basic astronomical data


Box 40

Contemporary Astrophysics


Box 40

Astrophysics


Box 40

Astrophysics II


Box 40

Special relativity


Box 40

Relativity, gravitation, and black holes


Box 40

Radiation transfer


Box 40

Gas stream in close binary systems


Box 40

Galactic dynamics


Box 40

Galactic accretion


Box 41

Introduction to Stellar Evolution


Box 41

Electromagnetic theory


Box 41

Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics


Box 41

Statistical Mechanics


Box 41

Prendergast Lectures for Correction, Jan 10, 1969


Box 41

Statistical Mechanics


Box 41

Continuum Physics, Fall 78


Box 41

Hydro Course notes


Box 41

Classical Theory of Radiation I


Box 41

Classical Theory of Radiation II


Subseries VIII.2: Lecture notes on undergraduate courses


Box 41

Special relativity


Subseries VIII.3: Lecture notes on graduate school courses (developed by others)


Box 41

Galactic dynamics (by L. Woltijer)


Box 42

Quantum Mechanics


Box 42

Electromagnetic theory


Box 42

Classical mechanics


Box 42

GNRI—Generalized Newton-Raphson code for boundary value problem developed by Norman Baker

Series IX: Astronomy Department/Professional Organizations


Box 43

Astronomy Department/Professional Organizations material

Series X: Ephemera


Box 44

Diskettes


Box 44

Glass Plates


Box 44

Reel

Series XI: Papers by Others


Box 45

Papers by others


Box 46

Papers by others

Series XII: Printed Material


Box 47

Printed Material


Box 48

Printed Material