Enrico Fermi and the First Self-Sustaining Nuclear Chain Reaction Resources
with Additional Information ·
Fermi Honored ·
Atoms for Peace ·
Centennial of Birth ·
Stamp "The President of the United States
of America ... for especially meritorious contributions to the development,
use, or control of atomic energy, grant[s] an award of merit to Enrico
Fermi for his contributions to basic neutron physics and the achievement
of the controlled nuclear chain reaction." – Excerpt
from Enrico Fermi Award signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on December
1, 1954.  Courtesy Argonne National Laboratory Enrico Fermi was born in Rome, Italy, on September 29, 1901. The son of a railroad official, he studied at the University of Pisa from 1918 to 1922 and later at the universities of Leyden and Gottingen. He became professor of theoretical physics at the University of Rome in 1927. Fermi's accomplishments were in both theoretical and experimental physics, a unique feat in an age in which scientific endeavors have tended to specialize on one aspect or the other. Fermi received the Nobel Prize in 1938 for "his discovery of new radioactive elements produced by neutron irradiation, and for the discovery of nuclear reactions brought about by slow neutrons." Fermi and his family used the opportunity offered by his trip to Sweden for the awards ceremonies to come to the United States where Fermi accepted a position as professor of physics at Columbia University. Fermi moved to the University of Chicago to be in charge of the first major step in making feasible the building of the atomic bomb. In the squash courts under the west stand of the University's Stagg Field, Fermi supervised the design and assembly of an "atomic pile", a code word for an assembly that in peacetime would be known as a "nuclear reactor". Today, a plaque at the site reads: "On December 2, 1942, man achieved here the first self-sustaining chain reaction and thereby initiated the controlled release of nuclear energy." Fermi's momentous accomplishments caused him to be recognized as one of the great scientists of the 20th century. Following his death on November 28, 1954, a number of science institutions and awards have been named in his honor. Visit the web site at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for a more detailed biography from which this sketch is drawn. Resources with Additional InformationAdditional information about Enrico Fermi and his work is available in full-text DOE reports and on the Web. Documents: The
First Reactor (40th Anniversary Commemorative Edition)
A story of the first self-sustaining controlled
nuclear chain reaction that took place at Stagg Field, University of
Chicago, December 2, 1942.
The Future of Atomic Energy; Fermi, E. "Where is Everybody?" An Account of Fermi's Question The Nuclear Thomas–Fermi Model Neutron Physics. A Revision of I. Halpern's Notes on E. Fermi's Lectures in 1945; Beckerley, J.G. Summary of the Activities of the Experimental Section of the Nuclear Physics Division in the Past Month [June 1943]; Fermi, E., et al. Studies of Nonlinear Problems. I; Fermi, E., et al. Taylor Instability of Incompressible Liquids; Fermi, E. Establishing Site X: Letter, Arthur H. Compton to Enrico Fermi, September 14, 1942 Fermi Honored: The Enrico Fermi Award
– DOE Office of Science
"The Enrico Fermi Award is a Presidential award–one of the oldest and most prestigious science and technology awards given by the U.S. Geovernment. It recognizes scientists of international stature for their lifetimes of exceptional achievement in the development, use, or production of energy (broadly defined to include the science and technology of nuclear, atomic, molecular, and particle interactions and effects)." Fermium – The 100th element in the Periodic Table, named for Enrico Fermi Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) – A U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory The Enrico Fermi Institute – A component of the Physical Sciences Division at the University of Chicago
Additional Web Pages: The
"Last Universal Scientist" Takes Charge – Argonne National Laboratory
(ANL)
Featured Scientist – Enrico Fermi – Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) Mysterious Little Particle Has Long Argonne History: Fermi "invents" the neutrino – Argonne National Laboratory Scientists and Thinkers: Enrico Fermi – Time 100 Enrico Fermi – American Institute of Physics (AIP), including links to Fermi photos Enrico Fermi – Public Broadcasting System (PBS), The American Experience, including educational materials
Courtesy Argonne National Laboratory The
Future of Atomic Energy; Fermi, E.
Fermi discusses the nuclear chain reaction
and possibilities for peace time uses of atomic energy. Understanding the Atom; Fermi, E. Excerpts about the first self-sustaining
nuclear chain reaction, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and the role
of plutonium in nuclear energy.
Century of the Atom – audio clip Ten years after the experiment, Fermi recalls
his confidence in the success of the first self-sustaining controlled
nuclear chain reaction.
Fermi's account of the first self-sustaining controlled nuclear chain reaction – video clip. The First Reactor (40th Anniversary Commemorative Edition) A story of the first self-sustaining controlled
nuclear chain reaction that took place at Stagg Field, University of
Chicago, December 2, 1942.
US PATENT 2,708,656 [May 17, 1955]; Fermi, E., et al. Patent for the first nuclear reactor.
Additional Information about peaceful uses of the atom Events Marking the Centennial of Fermi's BirthThe
Centennial Celebrations of the Birth of the Physicist Enrico Fermi – DOE Office of Science
Lecture, Symposium Highlight Fermi Celebration, the First Annual Enrico Fermi Physics Lecture featuring Dr. James Coran of the University of Chicago – Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) Symposium on the universality of Fermi's physics contributions at FNAL – Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) Symposium with a retrospective focus on the period when Fermi was a faculty member at Chicago and laid the groundwork for the field of elementary particle physics. Included will be the issuing of a commemorative Fermi stamp by the United States Postal Service – The University of Chicago 100th Anniversary Commemorative Stamp
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