1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 646: Paper Published! The Academic World Shocked! Unveiling the Mysteries of Atomic Composition! Nuclear Physics Emerges Once Again!

Cavendish Laboratory.

With Christmas just around the corner, everyone in the lab had a big smile on their face.

There was not only the joy of welcoming the holiday, but also pride in the achievements of the laboratory.

Over the past year, Cavendish has been far ahead in the field of physics.

Many people call it the "center of nuclear physics".

This made teachers and students feel grateful to have encountered such a great era.

The "shadow" of quantum mechanics has finally disappeared, and it's time for experimental physics to shine.

At this moment, Chadwick was alone in his small laboratory.

My older brother Geiger has been gone for more than ten days.

Only today did he recall that the other party had proposed an improved experiment on beryllium rays.

He thought he might as well do a simple experiment before the holiday, so that he would have something to show for it.

Although Chadwick respected Geiger, he also knew that Geiger was still quite far from being at the forefront of nuclear physics.

Therefore, he didn't have high expectations for this experiment; he was just doing it for fun.

Cavendish's equipment is unmatched by any other laboratory.

Chadwick quickly assembled the instrument.

Following Geiger's suggestion, he replaced the Geiger counter with a cloud chamber.

This cloud room was designed with Professor Wilson's personal assistance, and it is very advanced.

Chadwick chuckled to himself:
"Although the possibility is slim."

"But I still hope Christmas will bring me good luck."

After saying that, he started the instrument.

drop!
When alpha rays emitted by radioactive materials bombard beryllium, they produce so-called beryllium rays.

Next, Chadwick introduced beryllium rays into the cloud chamber.

A few minutes later, when he took the first photo of the trajectory.

"Ok?"

"Why does the thickness of this trajectory look so familiar?"

"It doesn't seem to be formed by electromagnetic waves impacting the gas."

At this moment, Chadwick suddenly became interested.

It seems this experiment is indeed worth studying.

So he repeated the experiment and found that the trajectory of the beryllium rays was indeed somewhat illogical.

"If it were an electromagnetic wave, the trace it left behind wouldn't be so fine."

"Because electromagnetic waves will be reflected and ejected in various ways when they encounter gas, resulting in a coarser track."

"The more I look at it, the more it resembles the orbit of a particle."

"Could beryllium rays be particles in essence?"

"But it is not charged; currently, no particle meets this condition."

suddenly!

"wrong!"

"There is a type of particle that carries no charge!"

It was like a sudden flash of lightning!

Chadwick's eyes widened.

"Oh, God!"

"Could it be... the neutron I've been searching for all along?"

boom!
In that instant, Chadwick felt like he was about to ascend to heaven with excitement.

All the information in my mind came together!
The trajectory of the ray he just saw was remarkably similar to the trajectory of a proton that he had seen before.

It is uncharged, a particle, and comparable to a proton.

At that moment, Chadwick went completely insane.

He didn't even have time to check the results; he slammed the door open and headed straight for Professor Rutherford's office.

He couldn't wait to tell his mentor the shocking news.

At this moment, in the office.

After reading the telegram from Borneo, Rutherford couldn't help but remark:
"You, Bruce, you're deliberately showing off to me!"

"I thought I was going to surpass you this time."

"I never expected that your former student, Yu Yin, would discover the neutron."

"This is even more important than artificial nuclear fission and artificial radioactivity."

For Rutherford himself, the discovery of the neutron did not greatly shock him.

In his view, this was bound to happen; it was just a matter of time and who would win.

After Ligvii proposed the proton-neutron theory, Rutherford became convinced of the existence of the neutron.

Because of neutrons, many atomic phenomena can be perfectly explained.

Now, its existence has finally been confirmed.

"The mystery of the atom has finally been solved."

Rutherford was genuinely pleased for Ridgway.

The other person's return to Borneo did not affect their inspiration, and they continued to work on the front lines of physics.

That's what makes competition interesting.

at this time.

Snapped!
The office door was suddenly pushed open.

Rutherford looked over immediately.

"Which brat is getting all worked up again?"

However, he was surprised to find that the other person was Chadwick.

What could have made him, who is always so mature and composed, lose his composure like this?
Rutherford asked with concern:

"Chadwick, what's wrong?"

Chadwick, without even a chance to apologize, exclaimed excitedly:

"Professor, I've found the neutron!"

"I've found the neutron!"

Rutherford was instantly dumbfounded, his expression extremely strange.

ha?
However, Chadwick had not yet noticed his mentor's unusual behavior.

He was still talking to himself:

“Last time at the Geiger lab, he suggested to me that we could improve the beryllium ray paper that Bot published.”

"After conducting experiments, I discovered that the so-called beryllium rays are not gamma rays as Botte believed!"

"Its essence is a neutron!"

hiss!
Rutherford understood the whole story and immediately felt a sharp pain in his teeth.

He didn't even know how to start the conversation.

He was terrified that he might accidentally say the wrong thing and cause his prized disciple to fall into an endless abyss.

Soon, Chadwick also realized that something was wrong.

The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a hint of doubt.

The professor didn't even show any joy at the discovery of such a significant event as the neutron.

This is so abnormal.

He had a bad feeling.

"Professor, what's wrong?"

Rutherford's expression was very complicated. He opened his mouth and waited for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh and saying:

"Um, take a look."

Then he handed the letter written by Ridgway to Chadwick.

The latter accepted it without understanding why.

One minute
three minutes.
Five minutes.
The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Chadwick's facial expressions changed rapidly, almost like a revolving lantern.

Suddenly, to Rutherford's astonishment, the man in his thirties burst into tears.

"Woooooo~"

"I'm not reconciled!"

At that moment, Chadwick truly understood what it meant to be utterly heartbroken.

He wasn't even a co-discoverer.

According to the letter, the paper is expected to be published before the end of December.

According to academic rules, the publication date of a paper determines the ownership of the research findings.

Or, if both parties are completely unaware of each other's work, the difference in the order of publication of the papers may be negligible.

Clearly, Chadwick does not meet any of the above requirements.

In addition, he also needs to conduct multiple experiments, organize data, and write papers.

This whole process will take at least half a month.

In short, he missed out on the honor of discovering the neutron.

Rutherford patted Chadwick on the shoulder and comforted him, saying, "That's life; failure is a constant companion."

"This is especially true for scholars like us."

"This experience may also be a test for you."
-
December 31, 1925, the last day of the year.

Yu Yin's paper was published as a cover article in the journal Nature.

The news of the discovery of the neutron caused a sensation throughout the physics community!

"My God!"

"Has the neutron finally been discovered after the proton?"

"In this way, the composition of atoms will no longer be a secret!"

"Protons, neutrons, and electrons make up an atom."

The Borneo Atomic Institute, with its resounding prestige, has become another holy site for nuclear physics!
Many even believe that, given time, it could rival Cavendish.

After all, the world's number one military power is located there!

Professor Bruce is listed as the corresponding author in the paper's authorship column.

Everyone sighed:
"Professor Thomson discovered the electron, Professor Rutherford discovered the proton, and now Professor Bruce has guided Yu Yin to discover the neutron."

"The Cavendish school monopolized the three most important achievements in atomic science!"

"So scary!"

The process of discovering the neutron was simple, but the result was groundbreaking.

In terms of research difficulty, relativity and quantum mechanics are far superior to neutron theory.

However, from the perspective of perfecting the physical system, the latter cannot be said to be on par, but it is only slightly weaker.

That's the charm of experimental physics.

Germany.

After reading the paper, Bote remained silent for a long time.

The experiment he had forgotten about turned into a bombshell that shook the physics community.

It was as if fate had played a cruel joke on him.

What an honor to have discovered the neutron!

This is an unimaginable temptation for any experimental physicist.

Although he is low-key, it doesn't mean he can calmly let go of such a stunning achievement.

Bote didn't even know how to face Becker anymore.

He did not provide strong support because the other party had initially expressed a desire to further study the properties of beryllium rays.

"Hey Becker, are you alright?"

Becker is truly devastated.

Just a little bit!

Just a little bit closer!

He will then be remembered in history.

"That's a neutron!"

"It's touted as the final piece of the puzzle in atomic composition!"

"Even the Nobel Prize is not enough to reflect its true value!"

If he had insisted on testing the properties of beryllium rays, even if he couldn't immediately identify them as neutrons, he would certainly have been able to confirm that they were some kind of particle.

At the very least, he could ask his advisor to use his connections to inquire.

Given that Bot is Dr. Planck, his hidden network of connections is enormous.

Becker believes that some bigwig will eventually think of neutrons.

Unfortunately, it's all too late now.

"Mentor, I'm fine. I just want to be alone."

Bote sighed, unsure how to comfort him.

Finally, as if possessed, he said:
“Last time I went to Professor Planck’s place, I saw a very beautiful graduate student.”

"I think you might be interested in her."

"How about I introduce you two?"

Upon hearing this, Becker immediately looked up, his eyes still brimming with tears.

"really?"

“I’m very sad right now, and I want to talk to her.”

Bote:
Neutrons are indeed inferior to Nitrons.

France.

Inside the laboratory, Elena is complaining to Jolio:
"It's all your fault. I was also interested in the beryllium rays that Bot discovered and wanted to study them."

"You insisted on dragging me to pick out things for the wedding."

"Well, that's it, the Nobel Prize that was within our grasp has flown away."

Jolio was speechless, thinking to himself, "How can you blame me for this?"

And it seems very simple, well, actually it is very simple.

But when facing Elena, he could only say ingratiatingly:

"Xiao Yi, in my heart, you are ten thousand times more precious than the Nobel Prize."

"No, the two are not even comparable."

"Because you are my only one."

Upon hearing this, Elena blushed.

She said proudly:

"Glib tongue!"

"Now that the neutron has been discovered, let's quickly study its properties together."

"We might even be able to discover other unusual phenomena first."

Jolio nodded quickly.

Italy.

Enrico Fermi, a physics professor at the University of Rome, is building a world-class physics laboratory for the university.

At only 24 years old, he has already been entrusted with important responsibilities by his school and even the country.

That means Italy must improve its competitiveness in the field of nuclear physics.

Even the Italian Minister of Education visited his laboratory to check on the progress and ask if he needed any help.

At the same time, Fermi also began recruiting graduate students and experimental staff.

Interestingly, some of his students are older than him.

There's no way around it; knowledge comes in stages, and everyone has their own area of ​​expertise.

In the scientific community, ranking isn't based on age, but on merit.

Fermi's skill level is high enough to conquer anyone.

At that time, he was still full of youthful vigor and had the purest love for physics, unaware that greater danger awaited him.

Amaldi, a researcher in the laboratory, said with a smile:

"Dr. Fermi, isn't our lab built too late?"

"Artificial nuclear fission, artificial radioactivity, and neutrons—the three major areas of nuclear physics that Professor Bruce once mentioned have now all been conquered."

"I feel like this feast is almost over."

Fermi smiled calmly, displaying the demeanor of a grandmaster.

"Dr. Amaldi, you are mistaken."

"In my view, the field of nuclear physics is still a virgin territory waiting to be explored."

"The composition of the atom is now clear: protons, neutrons, and electrons."

"But the structure of the atom is still full of secrets."

Amaldi frowned slightly.

Fermi continued:

"We know that the atomic nucleus is composed of protons and neutrons, but in what form do they combine?"

"Professor Bruce proposed the concept of the strong force, believing that it binds protons and neutrons, but how should the strong force be described?"

"Does it also follow the inverse square law, similar to gravity?"

"Furthermore, beta decay in radiology remains a mystery."

"Why can neutrons transform into protons and electrons? What exactly is this process like?"

How should we describe the weak force?

"Furthermore, can artificial radioactivity only be achieved through experimentation? Are there any theoretical methods?"

"These problems are all related to the internal structure of the atom."

"How can this grand feast possibly be considered over?"

"It should be just the beginning!"

Amaldi was deeply shocked upon hearing this!
No wonder Fermi was able to take charge of the physics department at the University of Rome at such a young age.

Based solely on that insight he just shared, he's simply not on the same level as Italian physicists.

"No wonder Professor Bruce has his eye on this genius!"

"He will surely restore Italy's glory in the future!"

The discovery of the neutron ended the history of atomic composition, but opened a new chapter in nuclear physics.

(End of this chapter)