ENRICO FERMI

ENRICO FERMI

( 1901 - 1954)

Fermi, the Italian – American Physicist was one of the pioneers of the nuclear age. He was born on 26, September 1901 in Rome. At the age of 21, he obtained his Ph.D. in the fields of X-rays from the university of Pisa. In 1926 he made his first major contribution to physics with his work on the statistical behavious of a monoatomic gas, later called Fermi gas. In 1927 he was appointed as a lecturer of physics in Rome University. Ten years of research he discovered that when a element is bombarded by a slow moving neutron, it becomes adioactive and starts emitting radiations. The result is, one element charges into another element. In 1933 he discovered a neutral particle called neutrino. He produced eightly new artificial nuclei by neutron bombardment.

Fermi went to USA on an invitation to speak at Columbia University. Thereafter he remained there only. In 1938 he was awarded Nobel Prize in Physics. He became a professor in the Columbia University in 1939 and a US citizen in 1944. he designed the first nuclear reactor in Chicago. The reactor generated the energy by nuclear fission. He was instrumental in developing of an atombomb during the second world war.

Fermi joined Chicago University after second world war. The institute of nuclear studies there was name after him. In 1944 – 45 he had served as Associate Director of the Los Alamos Laboraory in New Mexico. He received the medal of merit in 1946. He was the recipient of the first annual award of the Atomic energy commission in 1954. 100th element fermium was named after him. An award called Fermi award was instituted in his honour and is awarded for outstanding work in Science in America.

Fermi died on 28 Nov, 1954 in Chicago.