This biography sheds new light on the life and work of physicist Ettore Majorana (including unpublished contributions), as well as on his mysterious disappearance in March 1938. Majorana is held by many, including Nobel Laureate, Enrico Fermi, to have been a genius of the rank of Galilei and Newton. In this intriguing story, the author, himself a leading expert on the work of Majorana, supplements the existing literature with new insights, anecdotes and personal accounts of contemporaries of Majorana.

Autorentext

Salvatore Esposito is a professor in the history of physics and associate professor of theoretical physics, working at the I.N.F.N. (Itlian National Institute for Nuclear Physics) in the Section of Naples. His research interests range from neutrino physics to field theory, and he is considered the world's leading expert on Majorana's work.

Inhalt
Part 1: A Dostoeyevskijan Hero.- An Archimedes from Sicily studies in Rome.- A Certain Interest in Pure Science.- Ten short papers.- Part 2: Power for the Italian School.- The 1937 Chance.- Landing in Naples.- Part 3: A Legacy from the Grand Inquisitor.- The Mystery of the Missing Papers.- Fortunes and Misfortunes of a Famous Director.- Part 4: Investigation of a Disappearance.- Before March 26.- In Search for a Missing Professor.- The Last Chapter.- Epilogue.