Enrico Fermi
Italian–American physicist (1901–1954)
Enrico Fermi: from quantum statistics to the first controlled chain reaction
A theorist takes a chair in Rome
Enrico Fermi completed his physics doctorate at Pisa in 1922. His early theoretical work included a 1926 statistical description of particles subject to the Pauli exclusion principle, now associated with his name. Appointed professor of theoretical physics in Rome in 1927, he built a research career that soon moved from atomic theory toward experiments on the nucleus.
Neutrons and the 1938 Nobel Prize
In the 1930s Fermi and colleagues used neutrons to produce radioactive isotopes. They found that slowing neutrons increased the rate at which nuclei captured them, an important tool for nuclear research. The Nobel Prize in Physics in 1938 recognized his work on neutron irradiation and reactions involving slow neutrons. He left Italy for the United States after receiving the award.
Chicago and the next phase of nuclear physics
At Columbia University, Fermi pursued the possibility of a sustained nuclear chain reaction. His team achieved the first controlled, self-sustaining reaction in Chicago on 2 December 1942. He subsequently worked on the Manhattan Project. After the war he taught at the University of Chicago and turned to high-energy physics and cosmic rays before his death in 1954.
Data and sources
NobelPrize.org — Enrico Fermi facts ↗