Giuseppe Cocconi

Giuseppe Cocconi (1914–2008) was an Italian physicist who was director of the Proton Synchrotron at CERN in Geneva. He is known for his work in particle physics and for his involvement with SETI where he wrote, "he probability of success is difficult to estimate; but if we never search, the chance of success is zero."

Life

Cocconi was born in Como, Kingdom of Italy in 1914. He went to study physics at the University of Milan, and then in February 1938, went to the Sapienza University of Rome on the invitation of Edoardo Amaldi. While at Cornell he also wrote, with Philip Morrison, his most famous paper "Searching for Interstellar Communications", on the 21 cm Hydrogen line, which turned out to be of vital importance in the SETI program.

During his sabbatical of 1959–1961, Cocconi helped kick-start the Proton Synchrotron research program at CERN, and conducted a series of experiment on proton-proton scattering, and on the cross section of protons and neutrons. and particle physics related research in general. His colleagues and friends wrote the following in his CERN's obituary: Giuseppe enjoyed the respect of great physicists in the world. As a man of culture and vision, he was very curious and attentive to what was going on in the world, and not only in the field of physics. Very kind and always ready to listen, straightforward but humble in his relations with his colleagues, always ready to admire other people’s success, he was happy to share his knowledge with juniors. His refusal of association with academies, and his lack of interest in prizes and honours, as well as his wish not to talk publicly, after his retirement, of his scientific life, are well known. He was a great physicist.