Quirino Majorana

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Quirino Majorana.

Quirino Majorana (born October 28, 1871 in Catania , † July 31, 1957 in Rieti ) was an Italian experimental physicist . In his long career as a professor of physics at the University of Rome , the Politecnico di Torino (1916–1921) and the University of Bologna (1921–1934), he examined many phenomena from different areas of physics.

Act

Quirino Majorana undertook a number of very precise experiments to shield gravity from 1918 to 1922. Majorana's experiments showed, in his view, that mercury and lead act as a shield and can easily weaken the earth's gravity. However, his result has not yet been reproduced (although an exact reproduction of the exact experimental setup of Majorana is not yet available). It was also objected that a possible shield, if it exists, would have to be several orders of magnitude smaller than Majorana measured, otherwise it would conflict with various astronomical facts. According to current knowledge, any shielding of gravitation is contrary to the principle of equivalence of general relativity by Albert Einstein , which has so far been confirmed in all experiments.

Majorana was skeptical about the special theory of relativity and tried 1918-1919 to refute the postulate of the constancy of the speed of light. However, he did not succeed in this, which led to his experiments becoming a pillar of the SRT. Majorana also confirmed Newton's law of gravitation with great accuracy.

In later work in Bologna he was influenced by the correspondence with his nephew Ettore Majorana .

Publications (selection)

  • “Su di un fenomeno fotoelettrico constabile con gli audion,” Rendiconti Accademia dei Lincei , V7, pp. 801-806 (1928).
  • "Azione della luce su sottili lamine metalliche," La Ricerca Scientifica National Research Council, V1 (1935).
  • “Agli albori dell'eletricità. Galvani e la scienza moderna, “ Sapere , pp. 261-265 (Oct 1937).
  • "Ulteriori ricerche sull'azione della luce su sottili lamine metallic," Il Nuovo Cimento , V15, pp. 573-593 (1938).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Roberto de Andrade Martins, The Search for Gravitational Absorption in the Early 20th Century (1998).
  2. ↑ Quirino Majorana, “On the Second Postulate of the Theory of Relativity: an Experimental Demonstration,” Physical Review , S2, V11, pp. 411-420 (1918).
  3. ↑ Quirino Majorana, "Experimental Demonstration of the Constancy of the Velocity of Light Emitted by a Moving Source," Philosophical Magazine , S6, V37, pp. 145-150 (1919).
  4. ↑ Giorgio Dragoni, Giulio Maltese, & Luisa Atti, "Quirino Majorana's Experiments on the Speed ​​of Light and Gravitational Absorption," Physics in Perspective , V9, N3, pp. 281-304 (24) (Sep 2007). doi : 10.1007 / s00016-006-0304-4 .
  5. ↑ Giorgio Dragoni, Giulio Maltese, & Luisa Atti, Classical and Quantum Gravity , V24, N24, pp. 6219-6225 (7) (21 Dec 2007).
  6. ^ Giorgio Dragoni & Giulio Maltese, "Quirino Majorana's Research on Gravitational Absorption: A Case Study in the Misinterpreted Experiment Tradition," Centaurus , V39, N2, pp. 141-187 (Apr 1997).
  7. ↑ Ettore Majorana, Lezioni all'Università di Napoli , Bibliopolis, Napoli (1987).
  8. ^ Giorgio Dragoni, Ettore Majorana as a Guide in Quirino Majorana's Experiments. Original Letters and Documents on an Experimental and Theoretical Collaboration (PDF; 527 kB), Proceedings of Science .
personal data
SURNAME Majorana, Quirino
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian experimental physicist
DATE OF BIRTH October 28, 1871
PLACE OF BIRTH Catania
DATE OF DEATH July 31, 1957
Place of death Rieti