On the Theory of Collisions between Atoms and Electrically Charged Particles

TL;DR

This paper discusses the theoretical framework for understanding collisions between atoms and charged particles, highlighting Fermi's early work and its influence on later developments in particle physics.

Contribution

It presents Fermi's original method for collision theory, which was extended to ultra-relativistic cases and influenced subsequent research.

Findings

Fermi's collision theory was foundational for later ultra-relativistic extensions.

The paper emphasizes the historical significance of Fermi's ideas.

Fermi's work was influential in the development of quantum collision models.

Abstract

In the fall of 1924, Enrico Fermi visited Paul Ehrenfest at Leyden on a 3-month fellowship from the International Education Board (IEB). Fermi was 23 years old. In his trip report to the IEB, Fermi says he learned a lot about cryogenics and worked on two scientific papers, including the following one. It was submitted in German to Zeitschrift fur Physik. The German version was known to Weizsacker and Williams and cited in the papers (10 years) later in which they extended Fermi's method to the Ultra-Relativistic case. The German version was subsequently translated into a Russian version and perhaps other languages. Fermi's Italian version (printed in Nuovo Cimento) is less widely known and does not appear in the ``Collected Works''. Nevertheless, Persico remarks that this was one of Fermi's favorite ideas and that he often used it in later life. So, we would like to think of this as a late 100th birthday present to the Italian Navigator. We would like to thank Professor T.D. Lee for his encouragement of this project and for interesting discussions about Fermi. Also Tom Rosenblum at the Rockefeller Archives for bringing Fermi's correspondence to our attention and Bonnie Sherwood for typing the original manuscript.