Enrico Fermi was one of the very few twentieth century physicists who excelled in both theoretical and experimental aspects of the subject. He first established his reputation at the University of Rome, where he became Professor of Theoretical Physics in 1926. Seven years later, he published the first quantum theory of radioactive beta-decay, a theory that became the cornerstone of all later work on this topic. He also established Rome as a world-leading centre of experimental nuclear physics and in 1934 pioneered the use of slow neutrons as a prolific source of new, artificial isotopes by using the neutrons to bombard a variety of targets. This work earned him the 1938 Nobel Prize for Physics. After he collected his award, he defected to the USA in order to escape the Fascist political climate in Italy, which was making life difficult for his family. In Chicago, he was the leader of the team that secretly produced the first nuclear reactor, which began operation on 2 December 1942. Subsequently, he worked with Robert Oppenheimer on the Manhattan project to build the first nuclear weapons. After the Second World War, he settled in Chicago and began work on the new field of particle physics. Alas, this work was cut short by his tragically early death.
Copyright 1997, The Open University