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Enrico Fermi
Leading the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
Chicago Pile-1 · 1938 Physics Nobel
- Born
- 29 September 1901
- Birthplace
- Rome, Italy
- Died
- 28 November 1954
More people
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi was an Italian-American physicist equally influential in theory and experiment. His research on particles and neutrons helped lead to nuclear reactors, while his wartime work contributed to the atomic bomb.
Early life
Rome childhood
Developed an early enthusiasm for mathematics and physics.
Pisa training
Studied at the Scuola Normale Superiore and earned his doctorate in 1922.
Career
- 1926–1938
Rome professor
Built a research group and investigated particle statistics and neutron-induced reactions.
- 1938–1939
Move to America
Left Italy after receiving the Nobel Prize, escaping Fascist racial laws affecting his family.
- 1942–1945
Wartime research
Led the Chicago reactor experiment and worked on the Manhattan Project.
- 1946–1954
Chicago professor
Continued research and teaching at the University of Chicago.
Contributions
Fermi statistics
Developed a statistical description of particles now called fermions.
Slow-neutron experiments
Showed how slowing neutrons could increase certain nuclear reactions.
Chicago Pile-1
A team achieved a controlled, self-sustaining chain reaction on 2 December.
Beyond the lab
Laura Fermi
Married Laura Capon in 1928; they emigrated with their two children.
Citizenship
Became a United States citizen during the Second World War.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Department of Energy-Office of Public Affairs, restored by Yann. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
