Fermi Remembered by James W. Cronin (PDF)

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Nobel laureate and scientific luminary Enrico Fermi (1901-54) was a pioneering nuclear physicist whose contributions to the field were numerous, profound, and lasting. Best known for his involvement with the Manhattan Project and his work at Los Alamos that led to the first self-sustained nuclear reaction and ultimately to the production of electric power and plutonium for atomic weapons, Fermi’s legacy continues to color the character of the sciences at the University of Chicago. During his tenure as professor of physics at the Institute for Nuclear Studies, Fermi attracted an extraordinary scientific faculty and many talented students—ten Nobel Prizes were awarded to faculty or students under his tutelage.Born out of a symposium held to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of Fermi’s birth, Fermi Remembered combines essays and newly commissioned reminiscences with private material from Fermi’s research notebooks, correspondence, speech outlines, and teaching to document the profound and enduring significance of Fermi’s life and labors. The volume also features extensives archival material—including correspondence between Fermi and biophysicist Leo Szilard and a letter from Harry Truman—with new introductions that provide context for both the history of physics and the academic tradition at the University of Chicago.Edited by James W. Cronin, a University of Chicago physicist and Nobel laureate himself, Fermi Remembered is a tender tribute to one of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century.Contributors:Harold AgnewNina ByersOwen ChamberlainGeoffrey F. ChewJames W. CroninGeorge W. FarwellJerome I. FriedmanRichard L. GarwinMurray Gell-MannMaurice GlicksmanMarvin L. GoldbergerUri Haber-SchaimRoger HildebrandTsung Dao LeeDarragh NagleJay OrearMarshall N. RosenbluthArthur RosenfeldRobert SchluterJack SteinbergerValentine TelegdiAl WattenbergFrank WilczekLincoln WolfensteinCourtenay WrightChen Ning YangGaurang Yodh

User’s Reviews

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⭐Enrico Fermi: born September 29th, 1901. As I write (this day, September 29), I am reminded of trends pointing to an ever greater gulf separating theorists and experimentalists, as well as between researchers and educators. Fermi contributed to no such artificial separation. First, read Fermi’s notes on quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, nuclear physics (published University of Chicago Press). Peruse the elementary book of thermodynamics (Dover). As teacher, Fermi is well-represented through those publications. As researcher: we have two volumes of Collected Papers, or the 1932 review article of Quantum Electrodynamics. Whatever the avenue, Fermi Remembered can serve as your guide. Nine chapters, beginning with biography (Segre), suffused with letters and correspondence, historical photographs, and reminiscences by students and colleagues. As always, Physics remains top priority.Let us read:(1) “…Fermi would take an accountant’s spreadsheet, a merchant calculator, and a slide rule, and with these tools he would convert the partial differential equations that were involved to first-order differential equations.” (page 147).(2) “Fermi also felt that time spent agonizing over the interpretation of quantum mechanics was a waste.” (page 156).(3) “Fermi, who was at once theorist and experimenter, possessed an extraordinary sense for the relation between the physical world and its mathematical portrayal by theorists.” (page 189).(4) “Fermi thought that one should never accept other people’s calculations without some independent confirmation.” (page 199).(5) “Fermi was highly solicitous with regard to having his students understand physics. With patience and good humor, he was invariably willing to explain any aspect of physics that had escaped their understanding, and he was readily available.” (page 230).(6) Fermi reportedly stated: “group theory is merely a compilation of definitions.” (page 173, private seminar).(7) Originating from a symposium celebrating anniversary of Enrico Fermi’s hundredth birthday (September 29, 2001). This beautifully produced publication contains a bit of everything. For instance: photocopies of notes from the Fermi archives which provide insight into how Enrico Fermi thought about, and solved, physics problems. The symposium centers around the years 1945-1954, the years in which Fermi was professor of physics at University Of Chicago.A pity, my copy, an ex-library copy, apparently never checked out of the library !A lovely publication worthy of attention. Learn of a master: Enrico Fermi.

⭐This book is based on a symposium held at the University of Chicago to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Enrico Fermi’s birth on September 29, 2001. The editor, James Cronin, was principal organizer of the symposium. A distinguished list of speakers was assembled, and written versions of their reports are included in the book. Extensive research in the U of C archives produced many interesting documents, including letters to Fermi and by Fermi, and notes written in Fermi’s hand on a wide range of topics. The results of this archival search are also included in the book.The decade immediately after World War II was a magical time for physics. The success of the Manhattan Project, Radar, and many other defence applications of physical science attracted much talent to the field. It seemed that almost everyone wanted a PhD in physics, and graduate schools like Chicago were mobbed. Fermi was the center of attention, and the students that he trained, both individually and in classes, went on to illustrious careers.This book covers many aspects of this exciting time. Space limitations in this review restrict my comments to only a few specifics. Fermi’s computer program to calculate charged particle orbits in the cyclotron, written for the Los Alamos Maniac computer, is wonderful. It should be read by every programmer. The review talks by Fermi’s colleagues, Richard Garwin, Murray Gell-Mann, and Marvin Goldberger, are not to be missed. The reading public interested in the history of 20th century science, in particular the period 1945-1954 when government support of peacetime research came into being, will find this book full of information not easily obtained elsewhere.

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