Fred 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.

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

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.

Cummings obtained his PhD with Edwin Thompson Jaynes at Stanford University in 1962.

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.

Jack Sarfatti received his Ph.D. in August 1969 working with Cummings.

His major research interests were

theoretical physics,

the biophysics of development,

cavity quantum electrodynamics,

many-body theory, and

non-linear dynamics.

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.

Cummings was full professor at U.C. Riverside when he retired (emeritus) after thirty years at UCR.

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