The porous plug and the instrument for measuring quartz homogeneity are engineering devices invented by physicists. Even mathematical techniques cross. Methods from nuclear physic s theory have revolutionized the analysis of gyro performance. Methods from spacecraft orbital dynamics have simplified a correction to Schiff's formulae arising from the Earth's imperfect sphericity. But for Schiff's vision to become a flight program, ideas must be translated into hardware.
Elegance is optimization.
Its diameter should be just enough to contain the instrument and allow for pumping during spin-up. No more, or the lead bag becomes unwieldy and the heat input excessive. Establishing a unified design, however, takes extreme attention to design detail, especially in the neck region between cold and warm temperatures. Elegance is assembly - an apparatus readily put together and taken apart. Assembly, often a challenge in engineering design, is especially so in long-life cryogenic systems, this one above all.