Enrico Fermi (29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian physicist, particularly remembered for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1938 for his work on induced radioactivity, Fermi is widely regarded as one of the leading scientists of the 20th century, highly accomplished in both theory and experiment.Fermium, a synthetic element created in 1952, the Fermi National Accelerator Lab, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, and a type of particles called fermions are named after him.
Early years
Enrico Fermi was born in Rome, Italy, to Alberto Fermi, a Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Communications, and Ida de Gattis, an elementary school teacher who built her own pressure cooker[2]. As a young boy, he enjoyed learning physics and mathematics and shared his interests with his older brother, Giulio. When Giulio died unexpectedly of a throat abscess in 1915, Enrico was distraught, and immersed himself in scientific study to distract himself. According to his own account, each day he would walk in front of the hospital where Giulio died until he became inured to the pain. One of the first sources for the study of physics was a book found at the local market of Campo de" Fiori in Roma. The 900 page book, entitled Elementorum physicae mathematicae, was written in Latin by Jesuit Father Andrea Caraffa, a professor at the Collegio Romano, covered subjects like mathematics, classical mechanics, astronomy, optics, and acoustics. Notes found in the book indicate that Fermi studied it intensely. Later, Enrico befriended another scientifically inclined student named Enrico Persico, and the two worked together on scientific projects such as building gyroscopes, and measuring the Earth"s magnetic field. Fermi"s interest in physics was further encouraged by a friend of his father, Adolfo Amidei, who gave him several books on physics and mathematics, which he read and assimilated quickly.
Professor in Rome
Aged 24, Fermi took a professorship at the University of Rome (first in atomic physics in Italy) which he won in a competition held by Professor Orso Mario Corbino, director of the Institute of Physics. Corbino helped Fermi in selecting his team, which soon was joined by notable minds like Edoardo Amaldi, Bruno Pontecorvo, Franco Rasetti and Emilio Segrè. For the theoretical studies only, Ettore Majorana also took part in what was soon nicknamed "the Via Panisperna boys" (after the name of the road in which the Institute had its labs). The group went on with its now famous experiments, but in 1933 Rasetti left Italy for Canada and the United States, Pontecorvo went to France and Segrè left to teach in Palermo.
During their time in Rome, Fermi and his group made important contributions to many practical and theoretical aspects of physics. These include the theory of beta decay, with the inclusion of the neutrino postulated in 1930 by Pauli, and the discovery of slow neutrons, which was to prove pivotal for the working of nuclear reactors. His group systematically bombarded elements with slow neutrons, and during their experiments with uranium, narrowly missed observing nuclear fission. At that time, fission was thought to be improbable if not impossible, mostly on theoretical grounds. While people expected elements with higher atomic number to form from neutron bombardment of lighter elements, nobody expected neutrons to have enough energy to actually split a heavier atom into two light element fragments. However, the chemist Ida Noddack had criticised Fermi"s work and had suggested that some of his experiments could have produced lighter elements. At the time, Fermi dismissed this possibility on the basis of calculations.
Fermi was well-known for his simplicity in solving problems[3]. He began his inquiries with the simplest lines of mathematical reasoning, then later produced complete solutions to the problems he deemed worth pursuing. His abilities as a great scientist, combining theoretical and applied nuclear physics, were acknowledged by all. He influenced many physicists who worked with him, such as Hans Bethe, who spent two semesters working with Fermi in the early 1930s. From the time he was a boy, Fermi meticulously recorded his calculations in notebooks, and later used to solve many new problems that he encountered based on these earlier known problems.
When Fermi submitted his famous paper on beta decay to the prestigious journal Nature, the journal"s editor turned it down because "it contained speculations which were too remote from reality". Thus Fermi saw the theory published in Italian and in German before it was published in English. Nature eventually did publish Fermi"s report on beta decay on January 16, 1939.
Fermi remained in Rome until 1938.
恩里科·费米（Enrico Fermi，1901年9月29日—1954年11月28日），美籍意大利裔物理学家，1938年诺贝尔物理学奖获得者。他对理论物理学和实验物理学方面均有重大贡献，首创了β衰变的定量理论，负责设计建造了世界首座自持续链式裂变核反应堆，发展了量子理论。
费米出生于意大利首都罗马，父亲阿尔贝托·费米是通讯部的职员。他在中学时代就展现了在数学和物理方面的才能。1918年获得比萨高等师范学校的奖学金。四年之后他在比萨大学获得了物理学博士，导师是普契安提教授。
1923年到1924年期间，他通过意大利政府和洛克菲勒基金会的资助访问了德国哥廷根大学的马克思·玻恩教授和荷兰莱顿大学的艾伦法斯特教授。1924年，他回到意大利，在佛罗伦萨大学任职数学物理和力学科讲师。
1926年，费米发现了一种新的统计定律—费米-狄拉克统计。他发现这种统计适用于所有遵循泡利不兼容原理的粒子，这些粒子现在被称为费米子。费米-狄拉克统计和玻色子所遵循的玻色-爱因斯坦统计是量子世界的基本统计规律。
1927年，费米当选为罗马大学的理论物理学教授。他在这个教席上一直任职到1938年。由于他的夫人劳拉是犹太裔，为逃避墨索里尼法西斯政府的迫害，他们在1938年接受诺贝尔奖之后移居到了美国。1938年到1942年期间，费米任纽约哥伦比亚大学教授。从1942年直至去世，他是芝加哥大学的物理学教授。
在罗马大学的早期时间费米主要的研究课题是电动力学和光谱学，但是随后他把研究重点放在了原子核本身而不是核外电子上。1934年他在原先的辐射理论和泡利的中微子理论基础上提出了β衰变的费米理论。在人工放射性被发现后不久，他实验演示了几乎所有元素在中子轰炸下都会发生核变化。这个工作促使了慢中子和核裂变的发现。
在1939年哈恩和斯特拉斯曼发现核裂变后，费米马上意识到次级中子和链式反应的可能性。1942年12月2日他在芝加哥大学体育场的壁球馆试验成功了首座受控核反应堆。在二战期间第一枚原子弹的建造过程中（曼哈顿计划），他是主要领导者之一。
第二次世界大战之后，费米的主要研究方向是高能物理，他在介子核相互作用和宇宙射线的来源等方面都做出了开创性的工作。费米于1954年在芝加哥去世。
由于在人工放射性和慢中子方面的工作，费米被授予了1938年诺贝尔物理学奖。他还是一位杰出的老师。他的学生中有六位获得过诺贝尔物理学奖。为纪念这位物理学家，费米国家实验室和芝加哥大学的费米研究所都以他的名字命名。
