Abstract
The discovery of cosmic rays, a milestone in science, comprised of scientists in Europe and North America and took place during a period characterised by nationalism and lack of communication. Many scientists that took part in this research a century ago were intrigued by the penetrating radiation and tried to understand the origin of it. Several important contributions to the discovery of the origin of cosmic rays have been forgotten in particular that of Domenico Pacini, who in June 1911 demonstrated by studying the decrease of radioactivity with an electroscope immersed in water that cosmic rays could not come from the crust of the Earth. Several historical, political and personal facts might have contributed to the substantial disappearance of Pacini from the history of science.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
C.A. de Coulomb, Troisième mémoire sur l’Électricité et le Magnétisme. Histoire de l’Académie Royale des Sciences (Paris, 1785), pp. 612-638
M. Faraday, Experimental Researches in Electricity (London, 1844), Vol. 2
W. Crookes, On Electrical Insulation in High Vacua, Proc. Roy. Soc. of London 28, 347-352 (1879)
J.X. Donald Montgomery, Cosmic ray physics (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1949)
L. Jánossy, Cosmic Rays (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1950)
L. Leprince-Ringuet, Cosmic Rays (Prentice-Hall, New York, 1950)
B.B. Rossi, Cosmic Rays (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1964)
A.M. Hillas, Cosmic Rays (Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1972)
J.G. Wilson, Cosmic Rays (Chapman and Hall, London, 1976)
A. Wigand, About high radiation and its penetration power, Phys. Zeit. 25, 445-463 (1924)
R.A. Millikan, History of Research in Cosmic-Rays, Nature 126, 14-30 (1930)
A.H. Compton, Recent developments in cosmic rays, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 7, 71-81 (1936)
W.F.G. Swann, History of cosmic rays, Am. J. Phys. 29, 811-816 (1961)
Xu Qiaozhen, L.M. Brown, The early history of cosmic ray research, Am. J. Phys. 55, 23-33 (1987)
V.L. Ginzburg, Cosmic Ray Astrophysics, Physics-Uspekhi 39, 155 (1996)
G. Puppi, Cosmic-ray physics in Italy: an historical overview of the early times, Nuovo Cim. C 19, 903-908 (1996)
H. Becquerel, Sur les radiations émises par phosphorescence (On the radiation emitted by phosphorescence), C.R. Acad. Sci. 122, 420-421 (1896)
P. Curie, M. Curie, G. Bémont, Sur une nouvelle substance fortement radio-active, contenue dans la pechblende (On a new, strongly radioactive substance contained in pitchblende), C.R. Acad. Sci. 127, 1215-1217 (1898)
C.T.R. Wilson, On the Ionisation of Atmospheric Air, Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. 68, 151-161 (1901)
J. Elster, H.F. Geitel, On electricity dissipation in air, Ann. Phys. 2, 425-446 (1900)
O.W. Richardson, Diurnal variation of ionisation in closed vessels, Nature 73, 607 (1906)
E. Rutherford, H.L. Cooke, A penetrating radiation from the Earth’s surface. Minutes of the Eighteenth Meeting of the American Physical Society, Phys. Rev. 16, 183 (1903)
J.C. McLennan, F. Burton, Some experiments on the electrical conductivity of atmospheric air. Minutes of the Eighteenth Meeting of the American Physical Society, Phys. Rev. 16, 184-192 (1903)
K. Kurz, The radioactive materials of the earth and air as the origin of the invasive radiation in the atmosphere, Phys. Zeit. 10, 834-845 (1909)
G.A. Cline, On the penetrating radiation at the surface of the Earth, Phys. Rev. 30, 35-52 (1910)
A.S. Eve, The ionization of the atmosphere over the ocean, Philos. Mag. 13, 248-258 (1907)
T. Wulf, On the radiation of high penetrating power that exists in the atmosphere, Phys. Zeit. 1, 152-157 (1909)
K. Bergwitz, Hab. Paper (Braunschweig, 1910)
A. Gockel, Measurement of penetrating radiation during balloon flights, Phys. Zeit. 12, 595-597 (1911)
K. Bergwitz, Research of disruptions to the device for observing the penetrating radiation according to Wulf, Phys. Zeit. 14, 953-956 (1913)
K. Bergwitz, On the γ radiation from Earth. Elster and Geitel Festschrift (Braunschweig 1915), p. 719; also in Naturwiss. 3, 388 (1915)
J.C. McLennan, E.N. Macallum, The Intensity of the Earth’s Penetrating Radiation at Different Altitudes and a Secondary Radiation excited by it, Philos. Mag. VI/22, 639-646 (1911)
A. Gockel, On the invasive radiation in the atmosphere, Phys. Zeit. 10, 845-847 (1909)
D. Pacini, Sulle radiazioni penetranti (On penetrating radiation), Rend. Acc. Lincei 18, 123-129 (1909)
D. Pacini, La radiazione penetrante sul mare (Penetrating radiation on the sea), Ann. Uff. Centr. Meteor. XXXII, parte I (1910)
D. Pacini, La radiation pénétrante sur la mer (Penetrating radiation on the sea), Le Radium VIII, 307 (1911). Translation in French (with minor modifications) of [35]. Translated in English and commented by Michela De Maria and Alessandro De Angelis, Penetrating radiation on the sea [arXiv:1101.3015]
D. Pacini, La radiazione penetrante alla superficie ed in seno alle acque, Nuovo Cim. VI/3, 93 (1912). Translated and commented by Alessandro De Angelis, Penetrating radiation at the surface of and in water [arXiv:1002.1810]
G.B. Rizzo, Domenico Pacini (1878-1934), Nuovo Cim. 11, 509 (1934)
G.B. Rizzo, Commemoration of Domenico Pacini, Archives of the University of Bari
F. Guerra, N. Robotti, La scoperta dei raggi cosmici: Domenico Pacini. Lezione alla Scuola di Dottorato di Otranto (2007)
A. Gockel, Air electrical observations in a balloon journey, Phys. Zeit. 11, 280-282 (1910)
A.S. Eve, On the ionization of the atmosphere due to radioactive matter, Philos. Mag. 21, 26-40 (1911)
V.F. Hess, Observations of penetrating radiation during seven free balloon flights, Phys. Zeit. 13, 1084-1091 (1912)
V.F. Hess, On the absorption of gamma-radiation in the atmosphere, Phys. Zeit. 12, 998-1001 (1911)
V.F. Hess, The origins of penetrating radiation, Phys. Zeit. 14, 612-617 (1913)
W. Kolhörster, Measurements of the penetrating radiation in the free balloon at high altitudes (Aero-physical developments Halle, Essay 6), Phys. Zeit. 14, 1153-1156 (1913)
V.F. Hess, Elektrotechnische Zeitschrift 29, 936 (1931)
G. Hoffmann, Experimental conclusions regarding the issue of the radioactivity of the elements II, Zeit. Phys. 7, 254-259 (1921)
G. Hoffmann, The importance of the delicateness of the electrometric measurement of small electricity amounts, Phys. Zeit. 25, 6-8 (1924)
G. Hoffmann, The determination of very low conductivities with the vacuum electrometer, Phys. Zeit. 26, 913-914 (1925)
G. Hoffmann, Measurements of radiation at sea level, Phys. Zeit. 26, 40-43 (1925)
G. Hoffmann, Measurements of penetrating radiation at sea level, Phys. Zeit. 26, 669-672 (1925)
F. Behounek, The origin of pervasive radiation in the atmosphere, Phys. Zeit. 27, 8 (1926)
R.A. Millikan, I.S. Bowen, Penetrating radiation at high altitudes. Minutes of the Pasadena Meeting, May 5, 1923, Phys. Rev. 22, 198 (1923)
R.A. Millikan, G.H. Cameron, High frequency rays of cosmic origin III. Measurements in snow-fed lakes at high altitudes, Phys. Rev. 28, 851-868 (1926)
J.A. Simpson, in The Physical Review: the first 100 years (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1999)
J. Clay, Penetrating radiation, Acad. Amsterdam Proc. 30, 1115-1127 (1927)
J. Clay, Penetrating radiation II, Acad. Amsterdam Proc. 31, 1091-1097 (1928)
W. Bothe, W. Kolhörster, Das Wesen des Höhenstrahlung (The nature of the cosmic radiation), Zeit. Phys. 56, 751-777 (1929)
A.H. Compton, Progress of cosmic-rays survey, Phys. Rev. 41, 681-682 (1932)
A.H. Compton, A geographic study of cosmic-rays, Phys. Rev. 43, 387-403 (1933)
L.W. Alvarez, A.H. Compton, A positively charged component of cosmic rays, Phys. Rev. 43, 835-836 (1933)
T.H. Johnson, Coincidence counter studies of the corpuscular component of the cosmic radiation, Phys. Rev. 45, 569-585 (1934)
B.B. Rossi, Directional measurements on the cosmic rays near the geomagnetic equator, Phys. Rev. 45, 212-214 (1934)
M. Schein, W.P. Jesse, E.O. Wollan, The nature of the primary cosmic radiation and the origin of the mesotron, Phys. Rev. 59, 615-633 (1941)
S.E. Forbush, World-wide changes in cosmic-ray intensity, Rev. Mod. Phys. 11, 168-172 (1939)
C.D. Anderson, The positive electron, Phys. Rev. 43, 491-494 (1933)
S.H. Neddermeyer, C.D. Anderson, Note on the nature of cosmic-rays particles, Phys. Rev. 51, 884-886 (1937)
C.M.G. Lattes, H. Muirhead, G.P.S. Occhialini, C.F. Powell, Processes involving charged mesons, Nature 159, 694-697 (1947)
G.D. Rochester, C.C. Butler, The penetrating particles in cosmic-ray showers. 1. Heavily-ionizing particles, Proc. Phys. Soc. London 61, 307-311 (1948)
The Birth of Particle Physics, edited by L.M. Brown, L. Hoddeson (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1986)
W. Heisenberg, On the theory of showers in cosmic radiation, Z. Phys. 101, 533-540 (1936)
W. Heisenberg, The absorption of the penetrating components of cosmic radiation, Ann. Phys. 33, 596-601 (1938)
Kosmische Strahlung, Festschrift Arnold Sommerfeld, edited by W. Heisenberg (Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1943)
V. Cirkel-Bartelt, History of Astroparticle Physics and its Components, Living Rev. Relativity 11, 2 (2008), URL (cited on December 8, 2010): http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2008-2
PAMELA Collaboration, An anomalous positron abundance in cosmic rays with energies 1.5-100 GeV, Nature 458, 607-609 (2009)
The Pierre Auger Collaboration, Correlation of the highest-energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic objects, Science 318, 938-943 (2007)
The Pierre Auger Collaboration, Update on the correlation of the highest energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic matter, Astrop. Phys. 304, 314-326 (2010)
K. Greisen, End to the cosmic-ray spectrum? Phys. Rev. Lett. 16, 748-750 (1966)
G.T. Zatsepin, V.A. Kuzmin, Upper limit of spectrum of cosmic rays, J. Exp. Theor. Phys. Lett. 4, 78 (1966)
G. Amelino-Camelia, J. Ellis, N. Mavromatos, D. Nanopulos, S. Sakar, Tests of quantum gravity from observations of gamma-ray bursts, Nature 393, 763-765 (1998)
W. Baade, Fritz Zwicky, Cosmic rays from super-novae, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 20, 259-263 (1934)
Various Authors, In memoria di Domenico Pacini (Cooperativa Tipografica Azzoguidi, Bologna, 1936)
V.F. Hess, Schriften des Vereines zur Verbreitung naturwissenschaftlicher Kenntnisse in Wien 59, 23 (1919)
Biography of Edoardo Amaldi at the web site of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, http://www.lincei.it/rapporti/amaldi/amaldi.php
Enciclopedia online dell’Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana “Giovanni Treccani”, www.treccani.it
E. Crawford, Nationalism and Internationalism in Science, 1880-1939 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992)
A.G. Cock, Chauvinism and internationalism in science – The international-research-council, 1919–1926, Notes Rec. R. Soc. Lond. 37, 249-288 (1983)
K. Bergwitz, V.F. Hess, W. Kolhörster, E. Schweidler, The determination of the history of the discovery of research of cosmic high radiation (Ultra magma radiation), Phys. Zeit. 29, 705-707 (1928)
M. De Maria, M.G. Ianniello, A. Russo, The discovery of cosmic-rays – Rivalries and controversies between Europe and the United States, Hist. Sci. Tecn. 22, 165-192 (1991)
A. De Angelis, N. Giglietto, L. Guerriero, E. Menichetti, P. Spinelli, S. Stramaglia, Domenico Pacini, pioniere dimenticato della scoperta dei raggi cosmici (Domenico Pacini, forgotten pioneer of the discovery of cosmic rays), Nuovo Saggiatore 24, 70-74 (2008)
A. De Angelis, N. Giglietto, S. Stramaglia, Domenico Pacini, the forgotten pioneer of the discovery of cosmic rays [arXiv:1002.2888] (February 2010)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
On leave of absence from Università di Udine, Italy.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Carlson, P., De Angelis, A. Nationalism and internationalism in science: the case of the discovery of cosmic rays. EPJ H 35, 309 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/e2011-10033-6
Received:
Revised:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/e2011-10033-6