Giuseppe Occhialini
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Paolo Stanislao "Beppo" Occhialini ForMemRS
(December 5, 1907 in Fossombrone
, Pesaro
, Italy
– December 30, 1993 in Paris) was an Italian physicist
, who contributed to the discovery of the pion
or pi-meson
decay in 1947, with César Lattes
and Cecil Frank Powell
(Nobel Prize
for Physics). At the time of this discovery, they were all working at the H. H. Wills Laboratory of the University of Bristol
.
The X-ray satellite SAX was named BeppoSAX
in his honour after its launch in 1996.
of Cambridge
, under the leadership of Patrick Blackett, using cloud chambers.
From 1937 to the 1944 he worked, on invitation of Gleb Wataghin
, at the institute of physics of Sao Paolo, in Brazil.
He returned to Italy, in 1944, taught first in Genoa
(1950) and then in Milan
(1952).
In 1947 he contributed to the discovery of the pion or pi-meson decay in collaboration with César Lattes
and Cecil Frank Powell
. The discovery was made at the Wills Laboratory of Bristol
using the technology of the tracks on specialized photographic emulsions.
He was a protagonist in cosmic ray research with the nuclear utilization of photographic emulsions exposed to high energy cosmic radiation, work which culminated in 1954 with the European G-Stack collaboration. Later on with the coming of particle accelerators, Occhialini explored that new field of research. He also made outstanding contributions to space physics, importantly contributing to the foundation of the European Space Agency
.
, then a country hostile to Italy
, he became an authorized alpine guide in the Parque Nacional De Itatiaia, where there is a peak named "Pico Occhialini".
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(December 5, 1907 in Fossombrone
Fossombrone
Fossombrone is a town and comune in the province of Pesaro e Urbino .-History:The ancient Roman colony of Forum Sempronii took its name from Gaius Sempronius Gracchus....
, Pesaro
Pesaro
Pesaro is a town and comune in the Italian region of the Marche, capital of the Pesaro e Urbino province, on the Adriatic. According to the 2007 census, its population was 92,206....
, Italy
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...
– December 30, 1993 in Paris) was an Italian physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, who contributed to the discovery of the pion
Pion
In particle physics, a pion is any of three subatomic particles: , , and . Pions are the lightest mesons and they play an important role in explaining the low-energy properties of the strong nuclear force....
or pi-meson
Meson
In particle physics, mesons are subatomic particles composed of one quark and one antiquark, bound together by the strong interaction. Because mesons are composed of sub-particles, they have a physical size, with a radius roughly one femtometer: 10−15 m, which is about the size of a proton...
decay in 1947, with César Lattes
César Lattes
Cesare Mansueto Giulio Lattes , also known as Cesar Lattes, was a Brazilian experimental physicist, one of the discoverers of the pion, a composite subatomic particle made of a quark and an antiquark.-Life:Lattes was born to a family of Italian Jewish immigrants in Curitiba, Southern Brazil...
and Cecil Frank Powell
Cecil Frank Powell
Cecil Frank Powell, FRS was a British physicist, and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate for his development of the photographic method of studying nuclear processes and for the resulting discovery of the pion , a heavy subatomic particle.Powell was born in Tonbridge, Kent, England, the son of a local...
(Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
for Physics). At the time of this discovery, they were all working at the H. H. Wills Laboratory of the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
.
The X-ray satellite SAX was named BeppoSAX
BeppoSAX
BeppoSAX was an Italian–Dutch satellite for X-ray astronomy which played a crucial role in resolving the origin of gamma-ray bursts , the most energetic events known in the universe...
in his honour after its launch in 1996.
Biography
His father was the physicist Raffaele Augusto Occhialini (1878–1951), pioneer in the fields of spectroscopy and electronics theory. Giuseppe Paolo Stanislao Occhialini graduated at Florence in 1929. In 1932, he collaborated in the discovery of the positron in cosmic rays at the Cavendish LaboratoryCavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the university's School of Physical Sciences. It was opened in 1874 as a teaching laboratory....
of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, under the leadership of Patrick Blackett, using cloud chambers.
From 1937 to the 1944 he worked, on invitation of Gleb Wataghin
Gleb Wataghin
Gleb Vassielievich Wataghin ; was a Ukrainian-Italian experimental physicist and a great scientific leader who gave a great impulse to the teaching and research on physics in two continents: in the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and in the University of Turin, Turin, Italy.Wataghin was...
, at the institute of physics of Sao Paolo, in Brazil.
He returned to Italy, in 1944, taught first in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
(1950) and then in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
(1952).
In 1947 he contributed to the discovery of the pion or pi-meson decay in collaboration with César Lattes
César Lattes
Cesare Mansueto Giulio Lattes , also known as Cesar Lattes, was a Brazilian experimental physicist, one of the discoverers of the pion, a composite subatomic particle made of a quark and an antiquark.-Life:Lattes was born to a family of Italian Jewish immigrants in Curitiba, Southern Brazil...
and Cecil Frank Powell
Cecil Frank Powell
Cecil Frank Powell, FRS was a British physicist, and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate for his development of the photographic method of studying nuclear processes and for the resulting discovery of the pion , a heavy subatomic particle.Powell was born in Tonbridge, Kent, England, the son of a local...
. The discovery was made at the Wills Laboratory of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
using the technology of the tracks on specialized photographic emulsions.
He was a protagonist in cosmic ray research with the nuclear utilization of photographic emulsions exposed to high energy cosmic radiation, work which culminated in 1954 with the European G-Stack collaboration. Later on with the coming of particle accelerators, Occhialini explored that new field of research. He also made outstanding contributions to space physics, importantly contributing to the foundation 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...
.
Honors
- Occhialini gives his name to the prestigious department of physics of the University of Milano-Bicocca.
- The satellite SAX, the first Italian satellite for the study of gamma rays, was renamed BeppoSAX from his nickname "Beppo".
- An asteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
, 20081 Occhialini20081 Occhialini20081 Occhialini is a main-belt asteroid discovered on March 12, 1994 by V. Goretti and M. Tombelli at Cima Ekar.- External links :*...
was named for him. - In 1949 he received the National Prize of the President of the Republic.
- In 1979 he was awarded the Wolf Prize for physics.
- In 2004, Prof. Antonio Vitale, Ordinary Professor of Physics at the University of BolognaUniversity of BolognaThe Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
, created the "Foundation Giuseppe Occhialini" with its seat at Fossombrone, birth town of Giuseppe Occhialini. The Foundation has as its objective the popularization of physics in the superior schools, and is active above all in the province of Pesaro-Urbino, where every year there is held a course with the allocation of scholarships for the worthiest students. - On 22 June 2009 a square in Milan was named after him.
Recreations
Beppo Occhialini was an avid mountain climber. During WW II, staying in BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, then a country hostile to Italy
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...
, he became an authorized alpine guide in the Parque Nacional De Itatiaia, where there is a peak named "Pico Occhialini".
External links
- Giuseppe "Beppo" Occhialini. Agenzia Spaziale Italiana.
- Giuseppe Occhialini. American Physical Society (in PDF)
- "Ricordando Beppo" (Remembering Beppo). Video on Giuseppe Occhialini's life. Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica - Italy
Further reading
- Redondi, Pietro. The Scientific Legacy of Beppo Occhialini. Bologna: Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer, 2006. ISBN 9783540373537.