Enrico Fermi

Enrico Fermi’s scientific work, noted for its originality and breadth, has had lasting consequences throughout modern science. Written by close colleagues as well as scientists whose fields were profoundly influenced by Fermi, the papers collected here constitute a tribute to him and his scientific legacy. They were commissioned on the occasion of his 100th birthday by the Italian Physical Society and confirm that Fermi was a rare combination of theorist, experimentalist, teacher, and inspiring colleague. The book is organized into three parts: three biographical overviews by close colleagues, replete with personal insights; fourteen analyses of Fermi's impact by specialists in their fields, spanning physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering; and a year-by-year chronology of Fermi’s scientific endeavors. Written for a general scientific audience, Enrico Fermi: His Work and Legacy offers a highly readable source on the life of one of the 20th century's most distinguished scientists and a must for everybody interested in the history of modern science.

From the reviews:

"Enrico Fermi: His Work and Legacy (…) contains essays by distinguished Italian physicists on Fermi’s contributions and their influence on subsequent developments. Its also contains a year-by-year summary of his work and talks given soon after Fermi’s death by his friend and fellow student Enrico Persico, and his collaborators Edoardo Amaldi and Franco Rasetti (…) [It] contains some gems – articles by Giorgio Parisi on Fermi statistics. Nicola Cabibbo on weak interactions and Ugo Amaldi on nuclear physics – which could profitably be read by undergraduates." (Chris Llewellyn Smith, Times Higher Education Supplement, March 11, 2005, page 27)

"It is not only physics teachers who will enjoy this book, but also physicists and science historians who want to know more about why Fermi’s work is at the core of so many modern views of physics." (Giulio Maltese, Nature, Feb. 2005, vol. 433, page 460-461)

"Enrico Fermi: His Work and Legacy … contains essays by distinguished Italian physicists on Fermi’s contributions and their influence on subsequent developments. … could profitably be read by undergraduates. … left me with enormous admiration for Fermi as a physicist with a capital F." (Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, Times Higher Education Supplement, March, 2005)

"As part of the Italian celebrations of Fermi’s centenary, a book was produced as a resource for physics teachers … . Enrico Fermi: His Work and Legacy is an English translation of this book. It includes commemorative essays … . It is not only physics teachers who will enjoy this book, but also physicists and science historians who want to know more about why Fermi’s work is at the core of so many modern views of physics." (Giulio Maltese, NATURE, Vol. 433, February, 2005)

"This book describes the life and the work of Enrico Fermi competently in a very nice style and the English translation will be welcome and will satisfy manyreaders." (K.-E. Hellwig, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1086, 2006)