Emilio G. Segre (1 February 1905 – 22 April 1989) was an Italian American physicist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1959.
Life and Career
Emilio G. Segre was born on February 1, 1905, in Tivoli, Italy. He came from a Jewish family. He attended the University of Rome, where he earned his doctorate in physics in 1928. Segrè faced discrimination due to the anti-Semitic laws in Italy during the fascist regime, which affected his academic career.
Segrè received his education at the University of Rome, where he worked under the guidance of the renowned physicist Enrico Fermi. Fermi, who later won the Nobel Prize in Physics, greatly influenced Segrè’s career and research interests. Segrè earned his doctorate in physics in 1928.
After completing his education, Segrè continued to work with Fermi and played a crucial role in the discovery of slow neutrons. In 1938, as the political situation in Italy worsened under Mussolini’s regime, Segrè, being Jewish, emigrated to the United States.
In the U.S., Segrè joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. He worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II, contributing to the development of the atomic bomb. After the war, he continued his research in nuclear physics and made several significant contributions.
In 1959, Emilio Segrè was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Owen Chamberlain, for their discovery of the antiproton, a subatomic particle. This discovery provided experimental confirmation of Paul Dirac’s theoretical prediction that every particle has an antimatter counterpart.
Segrè continued his academic career at the University of California, Berkeley, and later at the University of Rome. He also wrote a biography of Enrico Fermi titled “Enrico Fermi, Physicist” in 1970.
He died on 22 April 1989, in Lafayette, California, United States.
Award and Legacy
Emilio G. Segrè was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1959. He shared the prize with Owen Chamberlain for their discovery of the antiproton. This groundbreaking work confirmed the existence of antimatter and contributed significantly to the field of particle physics.
Segrè’s most notable achievement was the discovery of the antiproton in 1955, which provided experimental evidence for the existence of antimatter. This discovery significantly advanced the understanding of particle physics and earned him the Nobel Prize.
Segrè played a crucial role in the Manhattan Project during World War II, contributing to the development of the atomic bomb. His work on the project was instrumental in the Allies’ success in building the first atomic weapons.
Throughout his career, Segrè made important contributions to the field of nuclear physics. His research on slow neutrons and other nuclear phenomena contributed to the broader understanding of the behavior of atomic particles.
Segrè wrote a biography of his mentor, Enrico Fermi, titled “Enrico Fermi, Physicist,” published in 1970. This biography provided valuable insights into Fermi’s life and contributions to physics.