Scientist marjoram. Ettore Majorana - the disappearance of a genius. You might be interested

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According to E. Fermi, he proposed a proton-neutron model of the atomic nucleus and studied nuclear exchange forces. Professor at the University of Naples (1937).

In 1937, he formulated a two-component theory and hypothesized the existence of so-called Majorana fermions - particles that are also their own antiparticles.

He published almost no scientific articles, often rejecting his work as unworthy of publication. Despite Fermi's persuasion, he did not publish his own hypothesis about the existence of the neutron.

Born in 1906 into a noble Sicilian family, from childhood he showed a talent for mathematics and chess. Following the example of his father, he went to study as an engineer at the Sapienza University of Rome, where he met Emilio Segre, who convinced Ettore to study physics rather than technology. Together with Segre, Majorana joined E. Fermi's research group. At their first meeting, Majorana amazed Fermi with his mathematical gift, finding an analytical solution to a complex nonlinear equation, when it took Fermi himself several weeks to find even a simple numerical solution. He also collaborated with W. Heisenberg in Leipzig and with N. Bohr in Copenhagen.

Majorana's first scientific articles were devoted to problems of atomic spectroscopy. His first work, published in 1928, was written while still a student in collaboration with Giovanni Gentile, a junior professor at the Institute of Physics in Rome. This work contained an early application quantitative analysis to atomic spectroscopy of Fermi's statistical model of atomic structure (now known as the Thomas-Fermi theory). In this paper, Majorana and Gentile performed first principle calculations within this model, which accounted well for the experimentally observed energies of non-valence electrons in gadolinium and uranium atoms, as well as the fine structure splitting of cesium spectral lines.

In 1931, Majorana published the first paper on the phenomenon of autoionization in atomic spectra, which he called “spontaneous ionization.”

In 1932, his work on atomic spectroscopy was published, concerning the behavior of oriented atoms in variables magnetic fields. This work led to the emergence of an important branch of atomic physics - radio frequency spectroscopy. In the same year, Majorana published his work on relativistic quantum mechanics for particles with arbitrary spin, in which he developed and applied infinite-dimensional representations of Lorentz groups and gave theoretical basis mass spectra of elementary particles. Like most of Majorana's works written in Italian, it languished in relative obscurity for several decades.

Returning from a trip to Germany in 1933, Majorana stopped scientific work and participation in the work of the physics department until 1937 and began to lead the life of a recluse, ceasing to leave his apartment on the street. A maid brought him food to his apartment, and a visiting barber cut and shaved him.

At the end of 1937, he received a professorship in the department of physics at the University of Naples. However, after several lectures, finding himself unable to speak in front of students, Majorana fled Naples in panic.

On the evening of March 23, 1938, Majorana withdrew all his savings from his account and boarded a ferry from Naples to Palermo. On March 25, he wrote a letter to the director of the University of Naples, apologizing for his sudden disappearance, mentioning “a decision that has become... inevitable.” Soon after sending this letter, Majorana apparently decided to abandon his plans, sending a telegram to a colleague asking him to retract the previous letter. In a note dated March 26, he wrote: “The sea did not accept me, and tomorrow I will return<…>However, I have decided to stop teaching.” On the evening of March 25, Majorana bought a ticket on a ship from Palermo to Naples, but never showed up on the mainland. Despite the family offering a reward for the discovery of Majorana, no further information was received about him and his body was never found.

Fermi turned to Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini with a request to help find a talented scientist: “... there is not the slightest exaggeration in my words: of all the Italian and foreign scientists with whom I have met, few have struck me as much with their extraordinary qualities as Majorana ".

On February 4, 2015, the Rome prosecutor's office announced that there was evidence that Ettore Majorana lived in Venezuela, in the city of Valencia, from 1955 to 1959. His further fate, however, is currently unknown.

Ecology of life. Ettore Majorana is a physicist, a man whom scientists around the world called a child prodigy with a phenomenal mind. And suddenly Ettore disappears, leaving a short note. What is behind this mysterious disappearance - some kind of tragedy, suicide or something else?

Ettore Majorana is a physicist, a man whom scientists around the world called a child prodigy with a phenomenal mind. And suddenly Ettore disappears, leaving a short note. What is behind this mysterious disappearance - some kind of tragedy, suicide or something else? We are offering to you Interesting Facts, which may shed light on this story.

His teacher said that according to the abilities in all history human society only Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei can compare with him. He was predicted that his discoveries would soon turn the whole world upside down. But he disappeared...

We have already discussed with you what kind of strange Vanishing Genius Rudolf Diesel was and what kind of Mysterious death Edgar PO. Now let’s find out what is known about the disappearance of this physicist...

Ettore Majorana was born in 1906 in Sicily. His talents became noticeable already in early childhood, when as a four-year-old boy he could mentally solve complex problems in mathematics, which was difficult not only for schoolchildren, but also for some adults. His parents decided to develop these abilities, and Ettore received a good education. At the age of 22, having a broad knowledge of mathematics, he decided to study physics, for which he entered the Roman Institute of Theoretical Physics, where a year later he became a Doctor of Science, having defended his work on radioactive nuclei with excellent marks.

It was during these years that Ettore became interested in a new and little-studied direction - nuclear physics. Majorana was the first to say about the existence of neutrons and create the theory of the atomic nucleus. His fellow scientists saw in him a genius capable of making great discoveries.

Majorana worked carefully, checking everything down to the smallest detail. He was very demanding of himself, but also harshly criticized his colleagues, if necessary. That is why he had the nickname “Grand Inquisitor”. Students loved Majorana very much, because he was able to talk about things that were very difficult to understand in an accessible and understandable language.

A couple of years later, the huge workload took its toll and Ettore fell ill. Nothing human is alien to geniuses either! U young man mental problems began, he became unrestrained and conflictual. This difficult period lasted until 1937, and then Ettore’s condition showed a sharp improvement, he again felt an interest in life, became sociable and became closely involved in science. In the same year, he discovered neutrinos, which everyone then began to call Majorana neutrinos. Only forty years later did scientists realize how important they were for science!

Colleagues breathed a sigh of relief when Majorana again began writing scientific articles, teaching and wanted to become a professor of physics, but, as life showed, their joy was premature.

In March 1938, he asked the institute to give him his entire salary, explaining that he was going on vacation to Palermo (Sicily). On March 25, Majorana boarded the ship, but when the ship arrived at its destination, Ettore was not on it.

It turned out that a little earlier he had asked his brother to transfer all his savings to a Naples bank.

A search began, which resulted in the discovery of two notes written by Ettore Majorana. The first was found in a hotel room and addressed to relatives. In it, the young man asked to forgive him, always remember and not wear long mourning.

He sent the second letter to his university. In it, Majorana repented that he had let down both his colleagues and students with his disappearance. He wrote that he did not want to betray anyone, but could not do otherwise.

When both of these messages were discovered, both colleagues and relatives came to the same conclusion - Majorana decided to take his own life. But, after a short time, his colleagues received a telegram in which Ettore asked them to forget everything he had written earlier. He said that the sea refused to accept him (does this mean he tried to commit suicide after all?) and he decided to return back. But with one condition - he will never teach or do science again.

This dispatch encouraged everyone, but Majorana never returned. Investigators began searching. Majorana actually bought a ticket on the ship, which was confirmed by the shipping company. There was also a witness who allegedly sailed with Ettore in the same cabin. But then strange things began to happen. When investigators asked company employees to show Majorana's ticket, they said that all data had been lost. And fellow traveler Ettore said later that he was not sure whether he was sailing with Majorana or with another person.

At first, investigators thought that Ettore, while sailing on a steamboat, threw himself into the water. But this version was not confirmed, since there were people who saw him in Naples. One woman who knew Ettore claimed that she saw him in Naples after the ship had sailed.

There were two more witnesses. Relatives published photographs and information about Ettore in all newspapers, hoping that someone would identify him. And so it happened. Two priests told them that they had seen Ettore in March or April, when he came to them in the Neapolitan monasteries and asked to take him. In both cases he was treated and left. So he was still in Naples all this time?

About ten years passed and people started talking about Ettore Majorana again. In 1950, physicist Carlos Rivera came to Argentina and rented an apartment from a local resident. One day a woman was cleaning his room and saw among the guest’s papers an article by Ettore Majorana. The woman told Carlos that she knew Ettore before, but did not know where he was now.

Ten years passed, and Carlos Rivera again came across the traces of Majorana. He returned to Argentina again and one day came to have lunch at a small restaurant. While he was waiting for the order, he began to make some calculations on a napkin. The waiter came up and said that he knew another person who often came to their establishment and always did the same. His name is Ettore Majorana...

Rivera began to question the waiter, but he did not know Ettore's address.

In the sixties and seventies of the last century there were several more people who knew Ettore Majorana in Argentina. He was seen there not alone, but with his comrades. But when they were asked about Ettore, they claimed that they did not know such a thing. What's the conclusion? Either Ettore introduced himself to them under a different name, or asked them not to give out information about him.

To this day it is impossible to say exactly what happened to this talented physicist. But it is also unclear why Majorana fled. Among several versions, there is one that, in my opinion, is closest to the truth. This version is described in his book about the fate of Majorana by the writer Leonardo Sciasci. He believes that Majorana, earlier than other scientists, made discoveries in the field of nuclear physics and realized that atomic energy could cause irreparable harm to humanity. In those years, Mussolini was in power - an ardent supporter of fascism, and Majorana could not help but understand how it could end if his discoveries fell into the hands of people like Mussolini.

This theory is also supported by the fact that after the disappearance of Ettore Majorana, it was Musollini who personally supervised his search.

Or maybe Majorana was simply tired of bearing the burden of responsibility while making discoveries in nuclear physics, and became disillusioned with life and the work of a teacher, since among his students there were few who were as passionate about science as he was. He simply left religion, forgot worldly life and did everything so that the laity would forget about him.

More than seventy-five years have passed since the disappearance of Ettore Majorana, but world physicists still recognize Majorana’s contribution to the study of nuclear physics. Modern scientists, after so many years, are delighted with the work of Majorana, with his discoveries and foresight.

Majorana, Majorana neutrino, Majorana force, Majorana particles, Majorana spinor are all physical terms named after Ettore Majorana.

The name Majorana is forever inscribed in the history of physics, but the life of Ettore himself still remains a mystery. Obviously, his university teacher was right, who, having learned about Majorana’s disappearance, said that if Ettore, who has a brilliant mind, decided to disappear, then he would easily do it and it would be useless to look for him. published

In 1906, in the Sicilian town of Catania, a boy was born who was named Ettore. The kid was growing up, and suddenly it turned out that he had phenomenal mathematical abilities. Already at the age of four he could solve complex problems, and he did it faster than adults. The boy was sent to a Jesuit school in Rome, then he studied at the Lyceum, and at the age of seventeen he entered the University of Rome.

In the early 1930s, science approached its greatest discoveries. On the agenda was an important issue for all humanity - mastering a new type of energy. The discovery of artificial radioactivity and the study of the structure of the atom suggested that energy could be extracted by splitting the atomic nucleus; energy is, as it were, immured inside matter itself. The pioneer in the field of mastering a new type of energy was the great Italian scientist Enrico Fermi, who built nuclear reactor. On December 2, 1942, a self-sustaining controlled nuclear chain reaction was carried out at the SR-1 reactor at the University of Chicago.

Back in 1926, a new department of theoretical physics was opened at the University of Rome, headed by Fermi. The department was located on Panisperna Street. It was worked on by physicist Franco Rasetti, mathematician Eduarde Amaldi, future laureate Nobel Prize in physics Emilio Segre, Ettore Majorana, “a genius of mathematics and physics,” as his colleagues called him, and Bruno Pontecorvo, who later emigrated to the USSR.

Talented theorists and experimenters called themselves “the guys from Panisperna Street.” The ideas of these “guys” laid the foundations of modern physics.

The most mysterious of the “guys” was certainly Ettore Majorana. Fermi considered him the most talented of his students and even sometimes embarrassed himself in front of Ettore. If Fermi among his associates had the nickname Pope, then Ettore was called the Grand Inquisitor for his ability to instantly find errors and weaknesses in scientific theories and hypotheses. The young scientist’s own ideas anticipated future ones scientific discoveries. He proposed one of the hypotheses concerning the nature of the forces holding the atomic nucleus.

The main achievement of the Italian genius, however, should be considered the creation of a theoretical model of the neutrino, the fundamental particle of matter. The question of which neutrino model—Majorana or Dirac—is realized in nature, perhaps some kind of mixed one, has not yet been resolved in physics. Majorana also invented mathematical objects, the so-called Majorana spinors, which at the end of the 20th century became one of the basic building blocks of modern theory supergravity. Even this short list of the achievements of the young theoretical physicist indicates that he was ahead not only of his time, but also of modern scientific views.

The young scientist managed to write only a few scientific works, but all experts unanimously claim that they are works of genius - Majorana saw so deeply, his conclusions were so unexpected and original... By the way, it was he who first pointed out the possibility of the existence of the neutron.

But as often happens, genius often turns into a negative side. Ettore Majorana began to have mental problems. When in 1933 he fell ill with gastritis and was forced to follow a strict diet, he became very nervous, irritable, and often screamed in conversations. Friends and colleagues expected that Ettore would soon return to his normal state, but he became worse and worse. He stopped appearing at the University of Naples, where he taught at that time, and almost never left the house, preferring complete solitude.

Only in 1937 did things improve. Majorana seemed to come to his senses, appeared at the university, and expressed a desire to teach again. Then he published his article, which turned out to be the last in his life...

After the crisis had seemingly passed, Ettore suddenly surprised everyone: he transferred his money to an account in Naples, asked to give him all his salaries and advances, and bought a ticket on a ship departing on March 25, 1938 to Sicily, to Palermo. But when the ship arrived at its destination, the physicist was not on it...

In a Neapolitan hotel room, a terrible letter was discovered addressed to Majorana’s relatives: “I have only one wish - that you do not dress in black because of me. If you want to comply with accepted customs, then wear any other sign of mourning, but no longer than three days. After this, you can keep the memory of me in your heart and, if you are able to do so, forgive me.”

The second letter was received at the University of Naples: “I made a decision that was inevitable. There is not a drop of selfishness in him; and I understand well that my unexpected disappearance will cause inconvenience to you and the students. Therefore, I ask you to forgive me - first of all, for neglecting your trust, sincere friendship and kindness.”

These terrible letters clearly indicated that the young man had decided to commit suicide. But soon a telegram arrived at the university. In it, the scientist begged not to pay attention to his gloomy letter. Then they received another strange letter from Majorana: “The sea did not accept me. I'm coming back tomorrow. However, I intend to leave teaching. If you are interested in details, I am at your service."

But the next day Majorana did not appear, and none of his relatives and friends ever saw him again...

The police began to investigate the circumstances of the physicist’s disappearance. The main version is that he committed suicide by jumping from a ship. But at the same time, there were witnesses who claimed that they saw Majorana in Naples after his mysterious disappearance...

The family of the young scientist placed an advertisement in the newspapers about the disappearance of Ettore Majorana and his photograph. Soon there was a response to this ad.

The abbot of one of the Neapolitan monasteries reported that one day a man came to him, very similar to the disappeared Majorana, and asked for asylum. He was refused, and the young man left in an unknown direction.

After some time, the police found out that a man similar to Ettore had applied to another monastery, but also did not receive shelter from the monks and went nowhere...

Some researchers of the mystery of Majorana are still confident that he nevertheless found shelter in one of the monasteries and lived a long and quiet life there...

But in 1950, new unexpected facts appeared in the Majorana case. Physicist from Chile Carlos Rivera came to Argentina, where he rented housing from an elderly woman. One day, while tidying up her tenant's desk, she noticed papers that mentioned the name Ettore Majorana.

The woman said that her son knew a man with the same last name. Rivera began to press the owner for details, but she could not give anything more. Soon the physicist had to leave Argentina, and when he arrived there again, he no longer found this woman. But he still came across other traces of the missing Majorana.

In 1960, Rivera was dining in an Argentine restaurant and mechanically writing mathematical formulas on a paper napkin. The waiter came up to him and said: “I know another person who, like you, draws formulas on napkins. He comes to visit us sometimes. His name is Ettore Majorana, and before the war he was a prominent physicist in his homeland of Italy.”

Shocked, Rivera began to ask the waiter for details, but the thread broke there - he did not know either Majorana’s address or where, at least roughly, one could look for the missing scientist.

Meanwhile, researchers investigating the mystery of Ettore’s disappearance came across other traces of Majorana in Argentina. So, some eyewitnesses said that he was seen there already in the 1960s and 1970s. But at the same time, the people whom witnesses pointed out as companions or friends of Majorana claimed that they did not know a person with that name. Some researchers have put forward versions that Majorana trusted them, but took a strict oath from them never to reveal his place of residence to anyone, and they honestly fulfilled this oath.

One way or another, none of the existing versions concerning both the death of Majorana and his life in the monastery or in Argentina have been proven. By the way, discussions about the reasons for such a strange disappearance also do not stop - some put forward the version of mental illness, while others claim that the matter was much more serious...

In 1975, the Italian writer Leonardo Sciasci’s book “The Disappearance of Majorana” was published. It claims that the young scientist decided to flee Italy in connection with the latest developments in the field of physics. Sciascia claims that thanks to his exceptional mind, Majorana, earlier than many of his colleagues, realized the enormous destructive power of atomic energy and did not want to participate in the development of atomic weapons for the fascist regime of Mussolini...

This version seems plausible, but so far no one has been able to figure out how everything really happened...

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In 1906, in the Sicilian town of Catania, a boy was born, who was named Ettore. The kid was growing up, and suddenly it turned out that he had phenomenal mathematical abilities. Already at the age of four, he could solve the most complex problems, and he did it so quickly that adults could not keep up with him.

The boy was sent to a Jesuit school in Rome, then he studied at the Lyceum, and at the age of seventeen, in the fall of 1923, he entered the technical school of the University of Rome, where he studied with his older brother Luciano and Emilio Segre. Emilio later convinced him to take up physics, and in 1928 Majorana transferred to the Institute of Theoretical Physics, which was then headed by Enrico Fermi.

A year later, the young man received his doctorate with honors. Together with his teacher Fermi, Majorana studied a completely new and promising field at that time - nuclear physics.

The young scientist managed to write only a few scientific papers, but all experts unanimously claim that these are simply works of genius - Majorana saw so deeply, his conclusions were so unexpected and original. By the way, it was he who first pointed out the possibility of the existence of the neutron.

But as often happens, genius often turns out to have its dark side and unpleasant side. Ettore Majorana began to have mental problems. In 1933, the physicist developed gastritis and was forced to follow a strict diet. The scientist became very nervous, irritable, and often screamed in conversations.

Friends and colleagues expected that Ettore would soon come to his senses, but he was getting worse and worse. He stopped appearing at the University of Naples, where he taught at that time, and almost never left the house, preferring complete solitude. Only in 1937 did improvement occur.

His articles showed a thorough knowledge of experimental data, the ability to formulate problems clearly and simply, a lively mind and an unyielding desire for excellence. His critical comments on the work of his colleagues earned him the nickname Grand Inquisitor. But he was no less demanding of himself, which perhaps explains his slowness and the relatively small number of scientific papers published in the years after defending his doctoral dissertation.

On the strong recommendation of Fermi at the beginning of 1933, Majorana, having received a scholarship from the National scientific council, went abroad. In Leipzig he met another Nobel Prize winner, Werner Heisenberg. The letters that Majorana later wrote to him show that they were connected not only by science, but also by warm friendship. Heisenberg urged the young Italian to quickly publish his work, but he apparently did not want to rush.

Majorana seemed to come to his senses, appeared at the university, and expressed a desire to teach again. Then he published his article, which turned out to be the last in his life. After the crisis had seemingly passed, Ettore suddenly surprised everyone. He transferred his money to an account in Naples, asked for his entire salary and bought a ticket on a ship departing on March 25, 1938 for Sicily, Palermo. But when the ship arrived at its destination, the physicist was not on it.

In a Neapolitan hotel room, a letter was found for Majorana’s relatives: “I have only one wish - that you do not dress in black because of me. If you want to comply with accepted customs, then wear any other sign of mourning, but no longer than three days. After this, you can keep the memory of me in your heart and, if you are able to do so, forgive me.”

The second letter was received at the University of Naples: “I made a decision that was inevitable. There is not a drop of selfishness in him; and yet I am well aware that my sudden disappearance will cause inconvenience to you and the students. Therefore, I ask you to forgive me - first of all, for neglecting your trust, sincere friendship and kindness.”

These terrible letters clearly indicated that the young man had decided to commit suicide. But soon a telegram arrived at the university. In the telegram, the scientist begged not to pay attention to his gloomy letter. Then they received another strange letter from Majorana: “The sea did not accept me. I'm coming back tomorrow. However, I intend to leave teaching. If you are interested in details, I am at your service." But the next day Majorana did not appear, and none of his relatives and friends ever saw him again.

The police began to investigate the circumstances of the physicist’s disappearance. The main version is that he committed suicide by jumping from a ship. But at the same time, there were witnesses who claimed to have seen Majorana in Naples after his mysterious disappearance. The family of the young scientist placed an advertisement in the newspapers about the disappearance of Ettore Majorana and his photograph. Soon there was a response to this ad.

The abbot of one of the Neapolitan monasteries reported that one day a man came to him, very similar to the disappeared Majorana, and asked for asylum. But he was refused, and the young man left in an unknown direction. After some time, the police found out that a man similar to Ettore had applied to another monastery, but also did not receive shelter from the monks and went nowhere.

Some researchers of the mystery of Majorana are still confident that he nevertheless found shelter in one of the monasteries and lived a long and quiet life there. But in 1950, new unexpected facts appeared in the Majorana case. Physicist from Chile Carlos Rivera came to Argentina, where he rented housing from an elderly woman.

One day, while tidying up her tenant's desk, she noticed papers that mentioned the name Ettore Majorana. The woman said that her son knew a man with the same last name. Rivera began to press the owner for details, but she could not give anything more. Soon the physicist had to leave Argentina, and when he arrived there again, he no longer found this woman. But still I came across other traces of the missing Majorana.

In 1960, Rivera was having lunch in an Argentine restaurant and mechanically writing mathematical formulas on a paper napkin. The waiter came up to him and said: “I know another person who, like you, draws formulas on napkins. He comes to visit us sometimes. His name is Ettore Majorana, and before the war he was a prominent physicist in his homeland of Italy.”

Shocked, Rivera began to ask the waiter for details, but the thread broke there - he did not know either Majorana’s address or where, at least roughly, one could look for the missing scientist.

Meanwhile, researchers investigating the mystery of Ettore’s disappearance came across other traces of Majorana in Argentina. So, some eyewitnesses said that he was seen there already in the 1960-1970s. But at the same time, the people whom witnesses pointed out as companions or friends of Majorana claimed that they did not know a person with that name. Some researchers have put forward versions that Majorana trusted them, but took a strict oath from them never to reveal his place of residence to anyone, and they honestly fulfilled this oath.

In 1975, the Italian writer Leonardo Sciasci’s book “The Disappearance of Majorana” was published. It claims that the young scientist decided to flee Italy in connection with the latest developments in the field of physics.

Sciascia claims that thanks to his exceptional mind, Majorana realized the enormous destructive power of atomic energy earlier than many of his colleagues and did not want to participate in the development of atomic weapons for the fascist regime of Mussolini. This version seems plausible, but no one has yet been able to find out how everything really happened.

At the end of the 1970s. news of Rivera's amazing discoveries in Argentina also reached Italian scientists. Physics professor Erasmo Resami and Ettore's sister Maria Majorana decided to follow the trail they found. During this search, they came across another trail leading to Argentina.

The widow of the Guatemalan writer Miguel Angel Asturias, who arrived in Italy, learned about new attempts to uncover the mystery of the disappearance of Ettore Majorana. She said that in the 1960s. met with an Italian physicist in the house of sisters Eleanor and Lilo Manzoni. According to Senora Asturias, Majorana was a close friend of Eleanor, a mathematician by profession.

It seemed that the mystery was finally about to be solved. However, in response to a request to tell in more detail what she knew, Senora Asturias refused her words. In fact, she did not personally meet Majorana, but only heard from others about his friendship with Eleanor. But, she added, her sister and Lilo Manzoni could provide evidence; Eleanor, unfortunately, was no longer alive. However, two elderly ladies were unable or unwilling to answer the questions asked of them.

Didn't he and Senora Asturias agree not to share Ettore Majorana's secret with anyone? Since two completely unrelated tracks led to Argentina, it is very likely that the Italian physicist actually fled there in 1938, and did not enter a monastery or commit suicide. But the motives for his sudden flight remain unclear and may never be known.

Perhaps Enrico Fermi was right when he dryly commented on the unsuccessful attempts to investigate the disappearance of Majorana, saying that if Ettore Majorana had decided to disappear without a trace, then with his intelligence he would have easily done it.

One way or another, not one of the existing versions has been proven - neither the death of Majorana, nor his life in the monastery or Argentina. There are heated debates, each of the researchers is convinced that he is right, but neither side has reliable evidence.

Ettore Majorana is a physicist, a man whom scientists around the world called a child prodigy with a phenomenal mind. And suddenly Ettore disappears, leaving a short note. What is behind this mysterious disappearance - some kind of tragedy, suicide or something else? We offer you interesting facts that may shed light on this story.


His teacher said that in terms of abilities in the entire history of human society, only Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei could compare with him. He was predicted that his discoveries would soon turn the whole world upside down. But he disappeared...


We have already discussed with you what kind of strange Vanished Genius Rudolf Diesel was and what this Mysterious Death of Edgar Po was. Now let’s find out what is known about the disappearance of this physicist...



Ettore Majorana was born in 1906 in Sicily. His talents became noticeable already in early childhood, when as a four-year-old boy he could mentally solve complex problems in mathematics, which was difficult not only for schoolchildren, but also for some adults. His parents decided to develop these abilities, and Ettore received a good education. At the age of 22, having a broad knowledge of mathematics, he decided to study physics, for which he entered the Roman Institute of Theoretical Physics, where a year later he became a Doctor of Science, having defended his work on radioactive nuclei with excellent marks.


It was during these years that Ettore became interested in a new and little-studied field - nuclear physics. Majorana was the first to say about the existence of neutrons and create the theory of the atomic nucleus. His fellow scientists saw in him a genius capable of making great discoveries.


Majorana worked carefully, checking everything down to the smallest detail. He was very demanding of himself, but also harshly criticized his colleagues, if necessary. That is why he had the nickname “Grand Inquisitor”. Students loved Majorana very much, because he was able to talk about things that were very difficult to understand in an accessible and understandable language.


A couple of years later, the huge workload took its toll and Ettore fell ill. Nothing human is alien to geniuses either! The young man began to have mental problems, he became unrestrained and conflicted. This difficult period lasted until 1937, and then Ettore’s condition showed a sharp improvement, he again felt an interest in life, became sociable and became closely involved in science. In the same year, he discovered neutrinos, which everyone then began to call Majorana neutrinos. Only forty years later did scientists realize how important they were for science!

Colleagues breathed a sigh of relief when Majorana again began writing scientific articles, teaching and wanted to become a professor of physics, but, as life showed, their joy was premature.


In March 1938, he asked the institute to give him his entire salary, explaining that he was going on vacation to Palermo (Sicily). On March 25, Majorana boarded the ship, but when the ship arrived at its destination, Ettore was not on it.


It turned out that a little earlier he had asked his brother to transfer all his savings to a Naples bank.


A search began, which resulted in the discovery of two notes written by Ettore Majorana. The first was found in a hotel room and addressed to relatives. In it, the young man asked to forgive him, always remember and not wear long mourning.


He sent the second letter to his university. In it, Majorana repented that he had let down both his colleagues and students with his disappearance. He wrote that he did not want to betray anyone, but could not do otherwise.


When both of these messages were discovered, both colleagues and relatives came to the same conclusion - Majorana decided to take his own life. But, after a short time, his colleagues received a telegram in which Ettore asked them to forget everything he had written earlier. He said that the sea refused to accept him (does this mean he tried to commit suicide after all?) and he decided to return back. But with one condition - he will never teach or do science again.


This dispatch encouraged everyone, but Majorana never returned. Investigators began searching. Majorana actually bought a ticket on the ship, which was confirmed by the shipping company. There was also a witness who allegedly sailed with Ettore in the same cabin. But then strange things began to happen. When investigators asked company employees to show Majorana's ticket, they said that all data had been lost. And fellow traveler Ettore said later that he was not sure whether he was sailing with Majorana or with another person.


At first, investigators thought that Ettore, while sailing on a steamboat, threw himself into the water. But this version was not confirmed, since there were people who saw him in Naples. One woman who knew Ettore claimed that she saw him in Naples after the ship had sailed.


There were two more witnesses. Relatives published photographs and information about Ettore in all newspapers, hoping that someone would identify him. And so it happened. Two priests told them that they had seen Ettore in March or April, when he came to them in the Neapolitan monasteries and asked to take him. In both cases he was treated and left. So he was still in Naples all this time?



About ten years passed and people started talking about Ettore Majorana again. In 1950, physicist Carlos Rivera came to Argentina and rented an apartment from a local resident. One day a woman was cleaning his room and saw among the guest’s papers an article by Ettore Majorana. The woman told Carlos that she knew Ettore before, but did not know where he was now.


Ten years passed, and Carlos Rivera again came across the traces of Majorana. He returned to Argentina again and one day came to have lunch at a small restaurant. While he was waiting for the order, he began to make some calculations on a napkin. The waiter came up and said that he knew another person who often came to their establishment and always did the same. His name is Ettore Majorana...


Rivera began to question the waiter, but he did not know Ettore's address.

In the sixties and seventies of the last century there were several more people who knew Ettore Majorana in Argentina. He was seen there not alone, but with his comrades. But when they were asked about Ettore, they claimed that they did not know such a thing. What's the conclusion? Either Ettore introduced himself to them under a different name, or asked them not to give out information about him.


To this day it is impossible to say exactly what happened to this talented physicist. But it is also unclear why Majorana fled. Among several versions, there is one that, in my opinion, is closest to the truth. This version is described in his book about the fate of Majorana by the writer Leonardo Sciasci. He believes that Majorana, earlier than other scientists, made discoveries in the field of nuclear physics and realized that atomic energy could cause irreparable harm to humanity. In those years, Mussolini was in power - an ardent supporter of fascism, and Majorana could not help but understand how it could end if his discoveries fell into the hands of people like Mussolini.


This theory is also supported by the fact that after the disappearance of Ettore Majorana, it was Musollini who personally supervised his search.


Or maybe Majorana was simply tired of bearing the burden of responsibility while making discoveries in nuclear physics, and became disillusioned with life and the work of a teacher, since among his students there were few who were as passionate about science as he was. He simply left religion, forgot worldly life and did everything so that the laity would forget about him.


More than seventy-five years have passed since the disappearance of Ettore Majorana, but world physicists still recognize Majorana’s contribution to the study of nuclear physics. Modern scientists, after so many years, are delighted with the work of Majorana, with his discoveries and foresight.


Majorana, Majorana neutrino, Majorana force, Majorana particles, Majorana spinor are all physical terms named after Ettore Majorana.


The name Majorana is forever inscribed in the history of physics, but the life of Ettore himself still remains a mystery. Obviously, his university teacher was right, who, having learned about Majorana’s disappearance, said that if Ettore, who has a brilliant mind, decided to disappear, then he would easily do it and it would be useless to look for him.
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