Contents -- Introduction -- Historical prelude -- The discovery of the s̄sion of uranium and the possibility to produce a chain reaction -- Natural uranium and graphite -- Experimental piles -- Achieving the r̄st nuclear chain reaction -- Further studies on nuclear piles during the war years -- The set of lectures on neutron physics -- Fermi's patents -- This volume -- Acknowledgements -- Some Background to my Notes on Fermi's Neutron Physics Lectures (Los Alamos, 1945), by Anthony P. French -- Introduction -- Tube Alloys -- The Manhattan Project -- The British Mission -- The Special Engineering Detachment -- "Los Alamos University" -- Concluding Remarks -- Neutron Physics -- Neutron Physics { A Course of Lectures by E. Fermi -- Introduction -- 1. Sources of Neutrons -- 1.1 Natural Sources -- 1.1.1 Alpha Particle Sources -- 1.1.2 Photo-Neutron Sources -- 1.2 Artificial Sources -- 2. The Isotopic Chart: Nuclear Masses and Energies -- 2.1 The Isotopic Chart -- 2.2 Energy Balance of Reactions -- 2.3 The Binding Energies of Nuclei -- 2.4 The Packing Fraction Curve -- 3. The Scattering of Neutrons (Part 1) -- 3.1 General Considerations -- 3.2 Elementary Theoretical Treatment -- 3.2.1 Elastic Scattering -- 3.2.2 Inelastic (n -- n) Scattering -- 3.2.3 Inelastic (n -- m) Scattering -- 3.2.4 Inelastic (n -- ) Scattering -- 4. Resonance: Models of the Nucleus -- 4.1 Resonance in Nuclear Reactions -- 4.2 Two Models of the Nucleus -- 5. The Scattering of Neutrons (Part 2) -- 5.1 The Solution of SchrÄodinger's Equation -- 5.2 The Scattering Cross Section -- 5.3 Neutron-Proton scattering -- 5.4 The Breit-Wigner Formula -- 5.5 The Effect of Chemical Binding on Scattering -- 5.6 Scattering Cross Section for Other Elements -- 6. Slow Neutrons as Waves -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Isotopic Effects -- 6.3 Penetration by Thermal Neutrons.

6.4 The Production of Very Slow Neutrons -- 6.5 Reflection and Refraction -- 7. The Slowing Down of Neutrons -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.2 The Energy Loss in One Collision -- 7.3 Many Collisions -- 7.4 The Spatial Distribution of Slowed Neutrons -- 7.5 Theory of the Spatial Distribution -- 8. The Age Equation -- 8.1 Derivation of the Age Equation -- 8.1.1 Diffusion -- 8.1.2 Energy Drift -- 8.2 The Problem of a Point Source -- 9. Thermal Neutron Distributions -- 9.1 The Basic Equation -- 9.2 Point Source of Slow Neutrons -- 9.3 Point Source of Fast Neutrons -- 9.4 Bounded Media -- 9.5 The Measurement of Diffusion Length -- 9.6 Diffusion in Graphite -- 9.7 Some Useful Quantities and Relationships -- 10. The Reflection of Neutrons -- 10.1 Introduction -- 10.2 Approximate Solution of the Escape Problem -- 10.3 Exact Solution by Integral Equation Method -- 10.4 The Albedo -- 10.5 Measurement of the Albedo -- 11. The Stability of Nuclei -- 11.1 The Binding Energy of a Nucleus -- 11.1.1 The Liquid Drop Model -- 11.1.2 Nuclear Composition -- 11.1.3 Coulomb Forces -- 11.1.4 The Odd-Even Effect -- 11.2 Determination of Coefficients -- 11.3 The Binding of Neutrons to Nuclei -- 12. Nuclear Fission -- 12.1 The Possibility of Fission -- 12.2 Limitations on the Occurrence of Fission -- 12.3 The Liquid Drop Model in Fission -- 12.4 The Particles of Fission -- 12.5 Cross Sections for Fission and Other Processes -- 13. The Possibility of a Chain Reaction -- 13.1 The Properties of Natural Uranium -- 13.1.1 The High Energy Region -- 13.1.2 The Thermal Region -- 13.2 Moderators -- 13.3 Homogeneous and Lumped Graphite Piles -- 13.4 The Possibility of a Homogeneous Pile -- 14. The Heterogeneous Pile -- 14.1 The Design of a Lumped Pile -- 14.2 The Determination of Pile Constants -- 14.2.1 The Magnitude of -- 14.2.2 (1 - fR) -- 14.2.3 Calculation of fT.

14.3 Reproduction Factor and Critical Size -- 15. The Time Dependence of a Pile -- 15.1 The Time-Dependent Equations -- 15.2 Evaluation of the Period -- 16. Practical Aspects of Pile Physics -- 16.1 The Determination of k -- 16.2 The Study of Pile Materials -- 16.3 Energy and Radiation Production -- 16.4 Shielding -- 16.5 Other Types of Piles -- 17. Fast Reactors -- 17.1 Elementary Considerations -- 17.2 The Integral Equation to the Neutron Distribution -- 17.3 The Critical Size for a Fast Reactor -- 17.4 Supercritical Reactors -- Problems and Exercises -- Nuclear Reactors -- 1. Process for the Production of Radioactive Substances by E. Fermi, E. Amaldi, B. Pontecorvo, F. Rasetti and E. Segre -- 2. Test Exponential Pile by E. Fermi -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 3. Method of Operating a Neutronic Reactor by E. Fermi and L. Szilard -- 3.1 The Chain Fission Reaction -- 3.1.1 Neutron Loss by Absorption in Uranium -- 3.1.2 Neutron Loss by Absorption in the Moderator -- 3.1.3 Neutron Loss by Absorption by Impurities in the System -- 3.1.4 Exterior Neutron Loss in a Neutronic Reactor of Practical Size -- 3.2 Measurement of Neutron Losses -- 3.3 An Illustrative Neutronic Reactor having a Solid Moderator -- URANIUM -- 3.4 Graphite in the Reactor -- 3.5 An Illustrative Neutronic Reactor having a Liquid Moderator -- 3.6 Neutronic Reactors with Other Moderators -- 3.7 Reduction of Losses Due to Resonance Capture -- 3.8 Reduction of Neutron Losses Due to Impurities in the Material -- 3.9 Effect of a Cooling System in a Neutronic Reactor -- 3.10 An Illustrative Gas-Cooled Neutronic Reactor -- 3.11 An Illustrative Liquid-Cooled Neutronic Reactor -- 3.12 Use of Different Lattices in the Same Neutronic Reactor -- 3.13 Critical and Operating Sizes of Neutronic Reactors -- 3.14 Control of the Neutronic Reaction by Variation of Neutron Losses in or from the Neutronic Reactor.

3.15 Uses of Neutronic Reactors -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- FOREIGN PATENTS -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 4. Chain Reacting System by E. Fermi and M.C. Leverett -- SUMMARY BY TYPE -- SUMMARY BY LOCALE WHERE HEAT IS GENERATED -- SUMMARY BY TYPE AND LOCALE -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- FOREIGN PATENTS -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 5. Neutronic Reactor I by E. Fermi -- SUMMARY BY TYPE -- SUMMARY BY LOCALE WHERE HEAT IS GENERATED -- SUMMARY BY TYPE AND LOCALE -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- FOREIGN PATENTS -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 6. Air Cooled Neutronic Reactor by E. Fermi and L. Szilard -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- FOREIGN PATENTS -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 7. Testing Material in a Neutronic Reactor by E. Fermi and H.L. Anderson -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- FOREIGN PATENTS -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 8. Neutron Velocity Selector by E. Fermi -- REFERENCES CITED -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- 9. Neutronic Reactor II by E. Fermi and L. Szilard -- REFERENCES CITED in the file of this Patent -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- FOREIGN PATENTS -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 10. Neutronic Reactor III by E. Fermi, W.H. Zinn and H.L. Anderson -- REFERENCES CITED in the file of this Patent -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- FOREIGN PATENTS -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 11. Neutronic Reactor IV by E. Fermi and W.H. Zinn -- REFERENCES CITED in the file of this Patent -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- FOREIGN PATENTS -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 12. Method of Testing Thermal Neutron Fissionable Material for Purity by E. Fermi and H.L. Anderson -- REFERENCES CITED in the file of this Patent -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 13. Method of Sustaining a Neutronic Chain Reacting System by E. Fermi and M.C. Leverett -- REFERENCES CITED in the file of this Patent -- UNITED STATES PATENTS -- FOREIGN PATENTS -- OTHER REFERENCES -- 14. Neutronic Reactor Shield by E. Fermi and W.H. Zinn -- REFERENCES CITED in the l̄e of this Patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS -- Appendix A: Other Documents not Reported in this Volume -- Scientific reports -- Notes on meetings -- Edited reports -- Other contributions -- Appendix B: The Complete List of Fermi's Papers -- Books -- Papers -- Bibliography -- Index.