A Cat Co-Authored an Influential Physics Paper

In 1975, Jack Hetherington and F.D.C. Willard co-authored a paper in "Physical Review Letters". This paper delves into atomic behavior and has gained substantial citations: one author is clearly feline.

When considering a physics article from a reputable journal, the thought of a cat author does not arise. However, an article from the 1970s attributes co-authorship to F.D.C. Willard — the Cat Who Published.

At that time, Jack H. Hetherington was a physics professor at Michigan State University. He finished what would later represent an important academic piece titled "Two-, Three-, and Four-Atom Exchange Effects in bcc 3He." This work examined atomic behavior across varied temperatures, likely beyond comprehension for most non-experts, let alone cats.

Before submission to "Physical Review Letters", Hetherington sought feedback. He shared the paper with a colleague who noted that he employed the royal "we" throughout his work. "Physical Review Letters" typically required plural pronouns and adjectives in passages from multiple authors.

In 1975, Hetherington lacked modern editing tools; corrections would not occur via simple find-and-replace commands. His entire manuscript had been created on a typewriter.

Hetherington later mentioned in the book "More Random Walks in Science" various reasons for not adding another human author. These included adjustments to compensation per additional author and concerns about scientific reputation and prestige.

After careful contemplation, Hetherington deemed his paper exceptional and worthy of swift publication. Rather than change the plurality in the text, he made a unique decision. He added his Siamese cat, Chester, as a second author, but used the pseudonym F.D.C. Willard. "F.D.C." represented "Felix Domesticus, Chester," while Willard honored Chester’s father.

Describing F.D.C. Willard as a colleague, Hetherington submitted the paper, which subsequently appeared in issue 35 of "Physical Review Letters".

Hetherington experienced little remorse about this playful deception, recognizing its potential for publicity. He posited that if the unconventional authorship generated interest, the paper would remain memorable. As he later stated, "In any case, I went ahead and did it and have generally not been sorry."

Once published, the truth about Willard didn’t remain a secret for long. A visiting guest seeking authors found Hetherington absent, leading to laughter once the feline’s identity emerged. As he recounts, "Everyone laughed, and soon the cat was out of the bag."

Leveraging the humor, Hetherington distributed signed reprints featuring both authors. His signature was typographical; Willard's was a paw print. Clearly, Hetherington embraced the community's reaction, branding Chester/Willard as the university's "Rodentia Predation Consultant."

University officials enjoyed this feline mascot concept. Truman Woodruff, the Physics Chairman, even requested Hetherington's help in securing Willard as a full-time member. His letter humorously noted the jubilation Willard’s presence might induce, even if limited to a visiting position.

Although many enjoyed the humor, editors did not find it amusing. Nonetheless, Willard later contributed again in 1980, this time credited as the sole author, with Hetherington likely assisting. This paper, entirely in French, appeared in the magazine "La Recherche". While it did not achieve similar acclaim as the first, it revealed the cat's unusual multilingualism.

Willard’s publishing stint sparked a lasting impact on the realm of feline co-authorships. In 2014, the American Physical Society proclaimed that cat-authored papers would be released as open-access documents. This announcement took place on April 1.

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