Edoardo Amaldi
Encyclopedia
Edoardo Amaldi was an Italian
physicist.
He was born in Carpaneto Piacentino
, son of Ugo Amaldi, professor of mathematics at the University of Padua
, and Luisa Basini.
Amaldi graduated under the supervision of Enrico Fermi
and was his main collaborator until 1938, when Fermi left Italy for the United States. In 1939, Amaldi was drafted into the Royal Italian Army and returned to physics in 1941.
After WWII, Amaldi held the chair of "General Physics" at the Sapienza University of Rome, rebuilt the post-Fermi school of physics, and was the co-founder of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics
, and of CERN
and ESRO
. He pioneered in Europe the search for gravitational waves.
His main scientific results have been the research on slow neutrons in the Fermi group, and the evidence for antiproton
annihilations with emulsion techniques, somewhat contemporary to its production in accelerators by Emilio Segre and collaborators. Amaldi co-authored about 200 scientific publications ranging from atomic spectroscopy and nuclear physics to elementary particle physics and experimental gravitation, as well as textbooks for secondary schools and universities. He also wrote historical-scientific books, like for example, the biography of his missing friend Ettore Majorana
. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1962.
Amaldi died unexpectedly on 5 December 1989, still in full activity, while he was president of the Accademia dei Lincei, of which he had been a member since 1948.
The third Automated Transfer Vehicle
of the European Space Agency
bears his name
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
physicist.
He was born in Carpaneto Piacentino
Carpaneto Piacentino
Carpaneto Piacentino is a comune in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 130 km northwest of Bologna and about 15 km southeast of Piacenza...
, son of Ugo Amaldi, professor of mathematics at the University of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
, and Luisa Basini.
Amaldi graduated under the supervision of Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi was an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist particularly known for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics...
and was his main collaborator until 1938, when Fermi left Italy for the United States. In 1939, Amaldi was drafted into the Royal Italian Army and returned to physics in 1941.
After WWII, Amaldi held the chair of "General Physics" at the Sapienza University of Rome, rebuilt the post-Fermi school of physics, and was the co-founder of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
The Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare is the coordinating institution for nuclear, particle and astroparticle physics in Italy. It was founded on the 8th of August 1951, to further the nuclear physics research tradition initiated by Enrico Fermi in Rome, in the 1930s...
, and of CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
and ESRO
ESRO
The European Space Research Organization was an international organisation founded by 10 European nations with the intention of jointly pursuing scientific research in space. It was founded in 1964...
. He pioneered in Europe the search for gravitational waves.
His main scientific results have been the research on slow neutrons in the Fermi group, and the evidence for antiproton
Antiproton
The antiproton is the antiparticle of the proton. Antiprotons are stable, but they are typically short-lived since any collision with a proton will cause both particles to be annihilated in a burst of energy....
annihilations with emulsion techniques, somewhat contemporary to its production in accelerators by Emilio Segre and collaborators. Amaldi co-authored about 200 scientific publications ranging from atomic spectroscopy and nuclear physics to elementary particle physics and experimental gravitation, as well as textbooks for secondary schools and universities. He also wrote historical-scientific books, like for example, the biography of his missing friend Ettore Majorana
Ettore Majorana
Ettore Majorana was an Italian theoretical physicist who began work on neutrino masses. He disappeared suddenly in mysterious circumstances. He is noted for the eponymous Majorana equation and for Majorana fermions.-Gifted in mathematics:Majorana was born in Catania, Sicily...
. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1962.
Amaldi died unexpectedly on 5 December 1989, still in full activity, while he was president of the Accademia dei Lincei, of which he had been a member since 1948.
The third Automated Transfer Vehicle
Automated Transfer Vehicle
The Automated Transfer Vehicle or ATV is an expendable, unmanned resupply spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency . ATVs are designed to supply the International Space Station with propellant, water, air, payload and experiments...
of the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
bears his name
Edoardo Amaldi ATV
The Edoardo Amaldi ATV, or Automated Transfer Vehicle 003 , is a European unmanned cargo resupply spacecraft named after Italian physicist Edoardo Amaldi. The spacecraft is scheduled for launch in 2012, on a mission to supply the International Space Station with propellant, water, air, and dry cargo...
.
External links
- Oral History interview transcript with Edoardo Amaldi 8 April 1963, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
- Oral History interview transcript with Edoardo Amaldi 9, 10 April 1969, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
- Oral History interview transcript with Edoardo Amaldi 10 December 1982, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
- Annotated bibliography for Edoardo Amaldi from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues