Ettore Majorana
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Ninety Years of X-Ray Spectroscopy in Italy 1896-1986
Ninety years of X-ray spectroscopy in Italy 1896-1986 Vanda Bouché1,2, Antonio Bianconi1,3,4 1 Rome Int. Centre Materials Science Superstripes (RICMASS), Via dei Sabelli 119A, 00185Rome, Italy 2 Physics Dept., Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Rome, Italy 3 Institute of Crystallography of Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, IC-CNR, Montero- tondo, Rome, Italy 4 National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Kashirskoeshosse 31, 115409 Moscow, Russia Ninety years of X-ray spectroscopy research in Italy, from the X-rays dis- covery (1896), and the Fermi group theoretical research (1922-1938) to the Synchrotron Radiation research in Frascati from 1963 to 1986 are here summarized showing a coherent scientific evolution which has evolved into the actual multidisciplinary research on complex phases of condensed mat- ter with synchrotron radiation 1. The early years of X-ray research The physics community was very quick to develop an intense research in Italy on X rays, after the discovery on 5th January, 1896 by Röngten in Munich. Antonio Garbasso in Pisa [1], and then in Rome Alfonso Sella, with Quirino Majorana, Pietro Blaserna and Garbasso, published several papers on Nuovo Cimento [2], starting the Italian experimental school on X-rays research in XIX century [3]. The focus was on the mechanism of the emission by the X-ray tubes, the nature of X-rays (wave or particles), the propagation characteristics in the matter, the absorption and diffusion. Cambridge and Edinburgh at the beginning of the XX century became the world hot spots of X-ray spectroscopy with Charles Barkla who demonstrated the electromagnetic wave nature of X-ray propagation in the vacuum, similar with light and Henry Moseley, who studied the X-ray emission spectra, recorded the X-ray emission lines of most of the elements of the Mendeleev atomic table. -
Fermi-Glast Rome U. Amaldi 9.5.11.Ppt
INFLUENCE OF FERMI AND HIS ROMAN GROUP ON NUCLEAR AND MEDICAL PHYSICS Ugo Amaldi Universitày Milano Bicocca and TERA Foundation Rome - 9.5.11 - U. Amaldi 1 Photo of a photo Enrico Fermi at 36 Edoardo Amaldi at 80 1936 1988 Rome - 9.5.11 - U. Amaldi 2 The discovery of neutron induced radioactivity Rome - 9.5.11 - U. Amaldi 3 January-March 1934 1933 Christmas holidays: Enrico Fermi and the other “ragazzi di Via Panisperna” at Santa Cristina March 1934: The Joliot-Curies discover artificial radioactivity induced by alfa particles The Institute of Via Panisperna Rome - 9.5.11 - U. Amaldi 4 1934 : Fermi discovery was made with a Be-Rn source. Radon extracted at Laboratorio Fisico della Sanità Pubblica The “Divine Providence” Rome - 9.5.11 - U. Amaldi 5 The third paper iodine isotopes used in nuclear medicine Rome - 9.5.11 - U. Amaldi 6 The efficacy of slow neutrons Rome - 9.5.11 - U. Amaldi 7 October 20, 1934 Rome - 9.5.11 - U. Amaldi 8 October 1934: discovery of artificial radioactivity induced by slow neutrons Discovery: Saturday 20.10.34 (*) First paper: Monday 22.10.34 Patent: Friday 26.10.34 (*) A. De Gregorio : not on October 22! O. D’Agostino E. Segrè E. Amaldi F. Rasetti E. Fermi Rome - 9.5.11 - U. Amaldi + B. Pontecorvo = The boys of Via Panisperna9 Writing the paper Emilio Segrè: “Enrico Fermi physicist” – 1970 Fermi dictated while I wrote. He stood by me; Rasetti, Amaldi and Pontecorvo paced the room excitedly, all making comments at the same time. The din was such that when we left, Amaldi’s maid discreetly asked whether the evening guests were tipsy. -
Accelerator Disaster Scenarios, the Unabomber, and Scientific Risks
Accelerator Disaster Scenarios, the Unabomber, and Scientific Risks Joseph I. Kapusta∗ Abstract The possibility that experiments at high-energy accelerators could create new forms of matter that would ultimately destroy the Earth has been considered several times in the past quarter century. One consequence of the earliest of these disaster scenarios was that the authors of a 1993 article in Physics Today who reviewed the experi- ments that had been carried out at the Bevalac at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory were placed on the FBI's Unabomber watch list. Later, concerns that experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory might create mini black holes or nuggets of stable strange quark matter resulted in a flurry of articles in the popular press. I discuss this history, as well as Richard A. Pos- ner's provocative analysis and recommendations on how to deal with such scientific risks. I conclude that better communication between scientists and nonscientists would serve to assuage unreasonable fears and focus attention on truly serious potential threats to humankind. Key words: Wladek Swiatecki; Subal Das Gupta; Gary D. Westfall; Theodore J. Kaczynski; Frank Wilczek; John Marburger III; Richard A. Posner; Be- valac; Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC); Large Hadron Collider (LHC); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Brookhaven National Laboratory; CERN; Unabomber; Federal Bureau of Investigation; nuclear physics; accel- erators; abnormal nuclear matter; density isomer; black hole; strange quark matter; scientific risks. arXiv:0804.4806v1 [physics.hist-ph] 30 Apr 2008 ∗Joseph I. Kapusta received his Ph.D. degree at the University of California at Berkeley in 1978 and has been on the faculty of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota since 1982. -
Sidney D. Drell Professional Biography
Sidney D. Drell Professional Biography Present Position Professor Emeritus, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University (Deputy Director before retiring in 1998) Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution since 1998 Present Activities Member, JASON, The MITRE Corporation Member, Board of Governors, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Professional and Honorary Societies American Physical Society (Fellow) - President, 1986 National Academy of Sciences American Academy of Arts and Sciences American Philosophical Society Academia Europaea Awards and Honors Prize Fellowship of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, November (1984-1989) Ernest Orlando Lawrence Memorial Award (1972) for research in Theoretical Physics (Atomic Energy Commission) University of Illinois Alumni Award for Distinguished Service in Engineering (1973); Alumni Achievement Award (1988) Guggenheim Fellowship, (1961-1962) and (1971-1972) Richtmyer Memorial Lecturer to the American Association of Physics Teachers, San Francisco, California (1978) Leo Szilard Award for Physics in the Public Interest (1980) presented by the American Physical Society Honorary Doctors Degrees: University of Illinois (1981); Tel Aviv University (2001), Weizmann Institute of Science (2001) 1983 Honoree of the Natural Resources Defense Council for work in arms control Lewis M. Terman Professor and Fellow, Stanford University (1979-1984) 1993 Hilliard Roderick Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Science, Arms Control, and International Security 1994 Woodrow Wilson Award, Princeton University, for “Distinguished Achievement in the Nation's Service” 1994 Co-recipient of the 1989 “Ettore Majorana - Erice - Science for Peace Prize” 1995 John P. McGovern Science and Society Medalist of Sigma Xi 1996 Gian Carlo Wick Commemorative Medal Award, ICSC–World Laboratory 1997 Distinguished Associate Award of U.S. -
Vol 15 No 2, Spring 2009
Search Lites Vol. 15 No. 2, Spring 2009 The Quarterly Newsletter of The SETI League, Inc. Offices: 433 Liberty Street Alpha Centauri, Here We Come PO Box 555 by Paul Gilster, Tau Zero Foundation Little Ferry NJ 07643 USA I'm always fascinated with the way the media handle nearby stars and the plan- ets that may orbit them, especially as our inventory of confirmed planets continues Phone: to grow. A recent National Geographic television special is a case in point. The (201) 641-1770 show's graphics were superb, its narration gripping. But how puzzling to run into a Facsimile: (201) 641-1771 fundamental misunderstanding about our nearest stellar neighbors. Email: [email protected] In "Journey to the Edge of the Universe," putative travelers have moved out Web: through the Solar System, passing (an ingenious touch) the various probes and arti- www.setileague.org facts we humans have scattered from Mercury out to the Kuiper Belt. As we move President/Registered Agent: to the nearest stars, we pass what is obviously the red dwarf Proxima Centauri and Richard Factor make for the binaries Centauri A and B. Describing them, the narrator says, "Not Secretary/Treasurer: one but three stars, spinning around each other locked in a celestial standoff, each A. Heather Wood star's gravity attracting the other, their blazing orbital speed keeping them apart." Executive Director Emeritus: H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D. And then this: "Get between them and we'd be vaporized." Trustee: Not a chance. We don't yet know whether there are planets around Centauri A Martin Schreiber, CPA or B. -
The Charm of Theoretical Physics (1958– 1993)?
Eur. Phys. J. H 42, 611{661 (2017) DOI: 10.1140/epjh/e2017-80040-9 THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL H Oral history interview The Charm of Theoretical Physics (1958{ 1993)? Luciano Maiani1 and Luisa Bonolis2,a 1 Dipartimento di Fisica and INFN, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy 2 Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Boltzmannstraße 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany Received 10 July 2017 / Received in final form 7 August 2017 Published online 4 December 2017 c The Author(s) 2017. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract. Personal recollections on theoretical particle physics in the years when the Standard Theory was formed. In the background, the remarkable development of Italian theoretical physics in the second part of the last century, with great personalities like Bruno Touschek, Raoul Gatto, Nicola Cabibbo and their schools. 1 Apprenticeship L. B. How did your interest in physics arise? You enrolled in the late 1950s, when the period of post-war reconstruction of physics in Europe was coming to an end, and Italy was entering into a phase of great expansion. Those were very exciting years. It was the beginning of the space era. L. M. The beginning of the space era certainly had a strong influence on many people, absolutely. The landing on the moon in 1969 was for sure unforgettable, but at that time I was already working in Physics and about to get married. My interest in physics started well before. The real beginning was around 1955. Most important for me was astronomy. It is not surprising that astronomy marked for many people the beginning of their interest in science. -
Friends and Colleagues Look at Aspects of Cocconi's Lifelong Interest in the Cosmos and Recent Developments in Modern Physics
TRIBUTE Giuseppe Cocconi and his love of the cosmos Friends and colleagues look at aspects of Cocconi’s lifelong interest in the cosmos and recent developments in modern physics, revealing a physicist of remarkable perception. In 1938 Giuseppe Cocconi published his first paper, “On the spectrum of cosmic radiation”. His last unpublished note of December 2005 bore the title “Arguments in favour of a personal interpre- tation of extra galactic cosmic rays”. No better indication could be given of his deep interest in astronomy and astrophysics, which lasted until he died in November 2008 aged 94 (CERN Courier March 2009 p36). The fields that he pioneered are now witnessing exciting new developments. Over the past six months they have reminded us of his many contributions to physics; his simple, direct way to conceive and perform experiments; and his unique way of presenting the sub- jects that he loved. In this article we describe some of these events and recall what Giuseppe contributed to the various fields. Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays Giuseppe and Vanna Cocconi check cosmic-ray shower detectors. This Giuseppe’s interest in the cosmos began when he was in his teens. photograph appeared in an article in the world famous magazine Life in He would design sundials for friends’ villas around his home town of November 1948. (Courtesy Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images.) Como, observe the sky and read as much about it as he could. Late one evening, he happened to observe the fall of some Perseid mete- and little about their composition. ors at an unexpected time. -
Antonino Cattaneo
ANTONINO CATTANEO Presidente European Brain Research Institute Roma [email protected] After obtaining a degree in biophysics, Antonino Cattaneo worked as a PhD student at the Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa) with Lamberto Maffei and as a postdoc and staff scientist with Rita Levi-Montalcini (Nobel Laureate for the discovery of NGF) at the CNR Institute of Neurobiology in Rome. He later worked with Cesar Milstein (Nobel Prize laureate for the discovery of monoclonal antibodies) and Michael Neuberger at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Cambridge, UK). From 1991 to 2008, he was Full Professor of Biophysics at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste (Italy), where he was Head of the Biophysics Department from 1991 to 1995 and the Deputy Director of SISSA from 1996 to 2001. Since 2008 he is Professor of Neurobiology at the Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa), where he is also the Director of the Biology Lab Bio@SnS. Antonino Cattaneo is author of more than 200 publications in peer-reviewed international scientific journals and is recipient of several awards including Domenico Marotta Prize (Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta XL), the W. Jansenius Medal (Slovak Academy of Sciences) and the “G. Tartufari” International Prize for Biology (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei). He is a member of EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) and member of the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta XL, the Academia Europaea and of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. Since 2018 he is President of the European Brain Research -
People and Things
People and things Rafel Carreras of CERN - explaining science On people Joachim Heintze of Heidelberg re ceives the Max Bom Prize for his work in particle physics, particularly the investigation of the study of weak interactions and the develop ment of precision measurement techniques. The Max Born Prize is presented jointly by the UK Institute of Physics and the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. Rafel Carreras of CERN receives this year's popularization of science prize awarded by Geneva University and sponsored by the weekly 'Medecine et Hygiene'. His memora ble weekly 'Science for all' and monthly Science today' sessions at CERN attract good audiences, from Induction linac systems experiments Accelerator Instrumentation within CERN and from further afield. Workshop On 5 March, William Happer, Director Carl Ivar Branden from Uppsala has of the Office of Energy Research of The dates for the forthcoming Accel joined the European Synchrotron Ra the US Department of Energy, ap erator Instrumentation Workshop at diation Facility in Grenoble as Re proved a mission need statement for Berkeley have been fixed for 27-30 search Director, taking over from the Induction Linac Systems Experi October. Jim Hinkson and Greg Andrew Miller. ments (ILSE). Stover are co-chairmen. The ILSE project is needed to ad Meanwhile the deadline for nomi vance the understanding of high-cur nations for the Bergoz Faraday Cup rent, heavy-ion accelerator physics Award for innovative beam instru 10 Tesla magnet at Berkeley so that basic technical questions con mentation (January/February, page cerning the suitability of this ap 26) has been put back to 1 August. -
How US Physicists First Came to Work at CERN
CERN-US COLLABORATION How US physicists first came to work at CERN After help from an eminent US figure, CERN was founded in the 1950s to provide a European stage for physics. Once the curtain was up, US physicists found the new laboratory increasingly attractive. In the first of two articles, Gordon Fraser traces the history of CERN-US collaboration from the post-war era to the advent of collider physics in the 1970s. In the late 1940s, Europe was major role in establishing the US struggling to emerge from the ruins Brookhaven National Laboratory. of the Second World War. The US The establishment of an analo had played a vital role in the con gous European laboratory was to flict, but had been less affected mat Rabi a natural and vital need. erially, and a shining vision of life However, on arrival in Florence he across the Atlantic was a beacon of was disturbed to find that there was hope for millions of Europeans liv no mention of this idea on the ing in austerity, if not misery. agenda. Two Europeans, Pierre i In a speech at Harvard on 5 June Auger (then UNESCO's director of 1947, US Secretary of State George exact and natural sciences) and C Marshall said that the US should Edoardo Amaldi, who was to be a help to "assist in the return of nor constant driving force, helped Rabi mal economic health in the world". Playing a key role in the post-Second World War through the intricacies of European North American "Marshall aid" was groundwork for what would become CERN was US physicist committee formalities. -
Edoardo Amaldi
Edoardo Amaldi Inventario sommario dell'archivio conservato presso il Dipartimento di fisica dell'Università La Sapienza di Roma 1927 – 1990 a cura di Giovanni Battimelli, Lucia Orlando e Giovanni Paoloni (1994) Informatizzazione e indicizzazione a cura di Nicoletta Valente svolte nel corso del 2015-2016 con il finanziamento della Direzione generale ArcHivi del Ministero dei beni culturali e ambientali e del turismo Sommario Premessa, cenni biografici, nota arcHivistica 1 Inventario 3 Indici dei nomi 73 Premessa Le carte di Amaldi, recuperate nel suo studio e in altri locali del Dipartimento di fisica dell'Università "La Sapienza" di Roma, in aggiunta al corposo versamento del 1991 da parte della famiglia Amaldi al Gruppo di storia della fisica, fanno dell'Archivio del grande fisico piacentino il maggiore tra gli archivi degli scienziati posseduti dall'Università di Roma. L'inventario sommario che segue è relativo ai fascicoli personali (1927-1990) prove- nienti dal Dipartimento e redatto dagli autori a metà degli anni '90. Il suo recupero in- formatico (tramite il software GEA.4 in uso presso il Dipartimento di fisica), lo Ha reso omogeneo alla gran parte dei fondi arcHivistici conservati presso il Dipartimento stesso.1 Cenni biografici Edoardo Amaldi nacque a Carpaneto Piacentino il 5 settembre 1908, figlio di Ugo Amal- di, professore universitario di Matematica. Fu tra i primi allievi di Enrico Fermi a Roma e fece parte del leggendario gruppo dei ''ragazzi di Via Panisperna'', nucleo originario del- la Scuola di Fisica romana. Tra i risultati più importanti ottenuti dal Gruppo romano, cui Amaldi contribuì attivamente, sono da ricordare gli studi pionieristici sulla radioattività e sulla fisica dei nuclei, cHe fecero guadagnare ai componenti del gruppo i più alti rico- noscimenti mondiali, culminati nel Nobel per la Fisica attribuito a Fermi nel 1938. -
Neutrons in the Material Work
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HIGH-ENERGY PHYSICS COURIER roHIBIBBMfflBEHJl APRIL 2000 Neutrons in the material work QUARK GLUON PLASMA NEUTRINO BEAMS DOUBLY MAGIC NICKEL Nuclear beams point back to Out of stored muons will come A new isotope with stable proton the Big Bang pl3 forth abundant neutrinos pl7 and neutron shells p27 CAB U 1 Vacuum Connectivity COMPONENTS FOR VACUUM SCIENCE AND PRECISION MOVEMENT UHV Feedthroughs UHV Fibre Optic Feedthroughs • Allows fibre-optic connection from inside the vacuum system to external instrumentation • Bakeableto 200°Cand constructed only from silica and aluminium • Available in two specifications forUVor IR use Coaxial BNC Cable Assemblies • Bakeableto 250°C • General purpose'user end'and a special coaxial fitting for push- on connection to standard BNC electrical feedthroughs • Made from KAP50 cable UHV Subminiature D & C Connector Feedthroughs • 9,15, 25 and now a new 50-way industry standard UHV D-Connector feedthrough • UHVSubminiature-C 9 pin Connector Feedthrough on DN16CF • High-vacuum or UHV internal screw-on connectors with a range of flange configurations Other products are available in the Vacuum Connectivity Brochure free from our Sales Office Gaburn-MDC Limited The Old Dairy, Glynde East Sussex BN8 6SJ United Kingdom Tel:+44 (0)1273 858585 Fax: +44 (0)1273 858561 [email protected] www.aaburn.co.uk CONTENTS Covering current developments in high- energy physics and related fields worldwide CERN Courier is distributed to Member State governments, institutes and laboratories affiliated with CERN, and to their personnel. It is published monthly except January and August, in English and French editions. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the CERN management.