2010/02/15 by A. De Angelis, N. Giglietto, De Angelis, Alessandro +3
Medicine · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #FOS: Physical sciences #History and Philosophy of Physics (physics.hist-ph) #Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM) #Planetary Science and Exploration #Radiation Therapy and Dosimetry
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1002.2888
openalex publication_date 2010/02/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
About a century ago, cosmic rays were identified as being a source of radiation on Earth. The proof came from two independent experiments. The Italian physicist Domenico Pacini observed the radiation strength to decrease when going from the ground to a few meters underwater (both in a lake and in a sea). At about the same time, in a balloon flight, the Austrian Victor Hess found the ionization rate to increase with height. The present article attempts to give an unbiased historical account of the discovery of cosmic rays -- and in doing so it will duly account for Pacini's pioneering work, which involved a technique that was complementary to, and independent from, Hess'. Personal stories, and the pre- and post-war historical context, led Pacini's work to slip into oblivion.