Fred Cummings

For the U.S. congressman from Colorado, see Fred N. Cummings.

Frederick W. Cummings (November 21, 1931 - January 31, 2019) was an American theoretical physicist and professor at the University of California, Riverside. He specialised in cavity quantum electrodynamics, many-body theory, non-linear dynamics, and biophysics.

Discoveries

Cummings obtained his PhD with Edwin Thompson Jaynes at Stanford University in 1962. After thirty years at University of California Riverside Physics department, Cummings became emeritus professor in 1993. He then lived in Marin County, California. Some of his important discoveries include the "Jaynes–Cummings model", one atom interacting with a quantized e-m field; as well as the extension of this to N atoms, the "Tavis-Cummings model". In the last twenty years his interest has turned to questions of biophysics of development and evolution.

Academic career

Cummings was full professor at U.C. Riverside when he retired (emeritus) after thirty years at UCR. Jack Sarfatti received his Ph.D. in August 1969 working with Cummings.

Research interests

His major research interests were theoretical physics, the biophysics of development, cavity quantum electrodynamics, many-body theory, and non-linear dynamics.

Education

He received his BS from Louisiana State University in 1955 and his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1960.

Biography

Cummings was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1931. He served in the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1952, in the infantry in Korea. He studied for his BS in physics and math major at LSU 1952–1955. He then was in the Physics Department of Stanford University for his Ph.D. 1955–1960. He worked at the Aeronutronic Research Labs, Ford Motor Co., Newport Beach, California 1960–1963. He was a professor at UCR, Riverside, California, 1963–1993.

In 1964, he married Kathleen Sturgis of Riverside, California. They have one child, Anne M. Cummings, M.D. (born February 14, 1966, in Riverside), presently living in Greenbrae, California, with her husband and three kids.

Cummings died on January 31, 2019, in Marin County, CA.

Selected publications

• F.W. Cummings, "Comparison of Quantum and Semiclassical Radiation Theories with application to the Beam Maser", PhD thesis, Stanford University, 1962.
• E.T. Jaynes and F.W. Cummings, "Comparison of Quantum and Semiclassical Radiation Theories with application to the Beam Maser", IEEE 51, 89 (1963).
• F.W. Cummings, "Interaction of a two level atom with a stochastic e-m field", Amer. J. Physics, (1963).
• E.R. Buley and F.W. Cummings, "Dynamics of a system of N atoms interacting with a radiation field", Phys. Rev. 44, (1964).
• F.W. Cummings, "A single mode radiation field coupled to a two level atom", Phys. Rev. 140 A1051 (1965).
• F.W. Cummings and J.R. Johnston, "Theory of Superfluidity", Phys. Rev. 151, 105 (1966), and reprinted in Coherent States: applications in Physics and Mathematical Physics, (eds. J.R. Klauder and Bo-Sture Skagerstam, World Scientific, Singapore 1985).
• M. Tavis and F.W. Cummings, "N atoms interacting with a single mode radiation field", Phys. Rev. 170, 379 (1968).
• F.W. Cummings, "Macroscopic Wave Functions" in Statistical Mechanics: new concepts, new problems, new applications", IUPAP conference Proceedings, eds., S. Rice, K. Freed and J. Light (Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1972). (cf: E.C. Svensson and Sears, Physica 137B, 1986).
• F.W. Cummings, "Aspects of Condensation in 4He II", in Cooperative Phenomena, eds. H. Haken and M. Wagner (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1973).
• F.W. Cummings, "On morphogenesis in living systems", in Energy Transfer Dynamics: studies and essays in honor of Herbert Fröhlich, eds. T. Barrett and H.A. Pohl, (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, London, New York, Tokyo, 1987).
• F.W. Cummings, "On suppression of spontaneous emission" Phys. Rev. Lett. (1985*).
• F.W. Cummings and A.K. Rajagopal, "Production of number states of the electromagnetic field", Phys. Rev. A39, 3414 (1989).
• F.W. Cummings, D.D. Dixon, and P.E. Kaus, "A model of neutron star dynamics" Astrophy. Jour. 386, 221 (1992).
• Frederick W. Cummings, "A model of growth and form based on adhesion molecules", J. Theor. Biol. 178, 229–238 (1996).
• F. W. Cummings and J.C. Strickland, "A Model of Phyllotaxis", J. Theor. Biol., 192, 531–544 (1998).
• F.W. Cummings, "Waves of pattern formation and signaling pathways", J. Theor. Biol. 196, 27–31 (1999).
• A.K. Rajagopal, K.L. Jensen, and F. W. Cummings, "Quantum entangled states in the Jaynes-Cummings model", Phys. Lett. A 259, 285 290 (1999).
• F. W. Cummings, "A model of pattern formation based on signaling pathways", J. Theor. Biol. 207, 107–116 (2000).
• Frederick W. Cummings, "The Interaction of Surface Geometry with Morphogens" J. Theor. Biol. 212, 303–313 (2001).
• F.W. Cummings, "A Model of Morphogenesis", Physica A, vol.339, 531–547 (2004).
• F.W. Cummings, "Interaction of morphogens with geometry", Physica A, vol. 355/2-4, 427–438 (2005).
• F.W. Cummings, "On the origin of pattern and form in early Metazoans", Int'l J. Develop. Biol. 50 (2/3) 193-208 (2006).
• Frederick W. Cummings, "A Model of Pattern Coupled to Form in Metazoans", in: Mathematical Modelling of Biosystems, pp. 45−86; eds. R. P. Mondaini and P. M. Pardalos, Springer, 2008.
• Michael Tavis and Frederick Cummings, 2013, "Stimulated and spontaneous emission of radiation in a single mode", J. Phys. B (Special issue on 'Fifty Years of the Jaynes-Cummings model'), 46 224011.