The Pope of Physics: Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age

I don’t think anyone including the authors would claim that The Pope of Physics is great literature. It isn’t, but it is well written, easy to read and extraordinarily interesting. Enrico Fermi was one of the great men of physics during the 20th century. His friends and coworker gave him the nickname of the Pope because when it came to physics, his pronouncements were infallible. Fermi ranks right up there with Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr and Marie Curie. Fermi was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1938. He immigrated to the United States from Italy later that same year. Because his wife was Jewish, their children would also have been classified as Jewish. It was not safe for Fermi and his family to remain in Italy after the alliance with Germany became a fait accompli.When Fermi first came to America, he became a physics professor at Columbia. A few years later in 1942, Fermi led a team of scientists that developed the first successful nuclear reactor. The reactor went critical on December 2, 1942. It was the first self-sustaining controlled nuclear reaction ever. Fermi’s contributions to the Manhattan Project were invaluable. He was one of the few physicists that excelled both theoretically and experimentally. He did not shrink from hard work or literally getting his hands dirty. Fermi led by example both at the chalkboard and in the lab.As a young man back in the 1960s, I served aboard the U.S, Navy’s FBM (Fleet Ballistic Missile) submarines. Each sub carried sixteen Polaris missiles. Each of the missiles was armed with a thermonuclear weapon, much more powerful than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The subs were also armed with the latest and most effective torpedoes. Some were nuclear tipped. At the time, these submarines were the most deadly weapons systems on earth. With only a few minutes notice, we could launch our missiles from the oceans depths, without fear of detection. That is an example of the destructive side of nuclear power. These weapon systems served the country well for many years as a deterrent against potential surprise attacks. Thankfully, we never had to launch our missiles or fire our torpedoes.But there is another side to nuclear power, a peaceful side. The subs were powered by nuclear reactors. Basically, the reactors are a source of heat. Without going into too much detail, the heat from the reactor (and there was a lot of it) is used to generate steam. The subs are actually propelled by steam turbines, which is why a nuclear sub can remain submerged almost indefinitely or at least until the food runs out. There was no need to surface to take on fuel. We could make our own oxygen and drinking water while submerged, but not food.In the U.S. today, about twenty percent of our electrical power comes from nuclear power. In France, that number is almost 75 percent. Nuclear power, when properly designed, sited and operated is safe, efficient and clean. There are no greenhouse gases. Enrico Fermi not only helped design “the bomb.” He is also one of the fathers nuclear energy for peace.After the war, Fermi accepted a teaching position at the University of Chicago. Six of his students went on to win the Nobel Prize. Also, one of his Italian students went on to become a Nobel laureate. That is quite a record.R.I.P. Enrico Fermi.

An excellent book -for a general reader but, particularly those who have studied Physics. The book is elaborates the genius of the man, popularly referred as The Pope of Physics. One wonders how a genius looks at the problem, to find answers to deep mysteries in the area he/she works. I was tempted to review again my Physics lessons, with more insight and interest, as I began reading the book. The language and style of the book is also interesting, motivating and concise. The chapters are organised in the order the events took shape in the life of Enrico Fermi- one of the greatest Physicst, excelling in wide, nearly all, branches of Physics. He was expert in theory as well as conducting experiments. None of the chapters is too long, in fact one can finish each of them in a short time and gain motivation and momentum.It is not easy to get the facts, quotes, the thinking process, emotions( of Fermi and the people around him), the wealth of information gathered to write such a book. The authors Gino Segre, and Bettina Hoerlin make up a good combination and have conducted a parallel research to produce the book. This has made the book all the more enjoyable for any reader. I am now approaching the end of the book, but will be reading and referring very often.All my friends now know some thing about this book.

Enrico Fermi was a truly remarkable scientist, one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century and probably the last great ‘all rounder’, in that he was equally at home with theory and experiment, and worked in a wide range of fields, including nuclear physics, condensed matter physics and astrophysics. You can hardly open a physics textbook without finding his name attached to some theory, phenomenon, energy level, unit etc. One of his greatest achievements was constructing the first successful mathematical theory to explain weak radioactive decays of nuclei. His Nobel Prize could have been for a number of his discoveries, but was actually for his work in the field of neutron interactions with nuclei. Ironically, this is one area where he (and other physicists) missed discovering nuclear fission, mistaking fission products for elements beyond uranium. In 1942 he and his team famously assembled the world's first self-sustaining nuclear reaction in a pile laboriously assembled in a disused squash court in a basement at the University of Chicago (presumably no Safety Officers were informed!). This was preliminary work connected with producing the first atomic bomb. Later, almost single-handedly, he went on to show how slow neutrons could be used to produce nuclear energy in reactors. He continued to do important work on the atomic bomb programme during and after the war, and the Director of Los Alamos, Oppenheimer, valued his contributions so highly that he created an entire division named after him (the F division).This biography charts Fermi’s entire life from his birth in 1901 to his early death in 1954. Fermi was a child prodigy who combined great intellect with perseverance, qualities which had their origin in his hardworking parents. His remarkable talents were soon recognized and he was supported by a few far-sighted senior scientists. Later he established a small group (Fermi’s Boys) in Rome that produced much exciting work in nuclear physics and whose members went on to establish major reputations themselves. By the age of 30 he was both Italy's greatest physicist as well as one of the world’s greatest scientists. Clear teaching was always central to Fermi’s way of working and his published notes are still well worth reading. His move to America followed the rise of fascism in Italy. There is much science along the way, both about his work in Italy and America, but it is very well explained without too much technical detail.There is also much about Fermi the man and the relationship with his collaborators and family. Fermi was not a cold man, but his first love was science; music, art and such thing held no interest for him. He was friendly and modest, and even had a good sense of humour, but he could not be described as a warm person, a fact that resulted in a family life that while not unhappy, was not overly joyous, and lead to somewhat distant relationships with his son and daughter. It was only in later years that his wife Laura emerged as a person in her own right and she subsequently authored several successful science books, and a biography of her husband ‘Atoms in the Family’, the latter shortly before his death. Fermi despised politics, but nevertheless served on important government committees out of a sense of loyalty to his adopted country.This is a fine book with a good mix of Fermi’s science achievements and his personal life. The former are described in sufficient technical detail to be understandable by the general reader, which I think is the right approach for a book that aims to be more than just a scientific biography. One of the authors, Gino Segre, has an earlier book ‘Faust in Copenhagen’ which describes the early days of quantum theory and the personalities involved. I am sure the present volume will achieve a similar success. It certainly deserves it.

Covers his life in full without being mundane. From the eyes of his colleagues, students and friends the characteristics of the great physcist and his human nature is brought out. Book showcases why Fermi was/is one of the most loved and respected scientific person of the modern era.I have brought this because I had come across many remarks, by great scientist, about how they were awed by fermi's deaph of understanding and clarity and at the same time how he was without any air of grandeur. I have even come across a book on nuclear engineering, whose author (worked in los alamos and a nobel laurete ) out of respect to Fermi, insisted on using 'fermi' as unit for neutron interaction crossection through out his book instead of 'barns' that was conventionally used. From then on i was intrigued about him.

Great reading and a justifiable title for a man who did far more for physics than perhaps he was given credit for. The tension and suspense of his exit from Europe would make a great film.