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neutron-bombardment
Fermi's experiments with neutron bombardment of elements led to the artificial generation of radioactivity and the groundbreaking discovery of nuclear fission.
1 chapter across 1 book
Brighter than a Thousand Suns - A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists (1956)Robert Jungk
Chapter 3
This chapter explores the dynamic relationship between Rutherford and Kapitza, highlighting Kapitza's eccentric personality and his forced confinement in the Soviet Union during a politically tense era. It also details the pioneering atomic physics work of Enrico Fermi and his team in Rome, including the discovery of neutron-induced radioactivity and the initial, mistaken identification of new transuranic elements, which in reality was the first observation of uranium atom splitting.