Antonino Zichichi, world-renowned physicist, passed away today at the age of 96. Originally from Trapani, his name is linked to historic discoveries—such as the antideuteron and the production of pairs of heavy mesons with positive and negative strangeness—as well as important inventions like NINO and superNINO, electronic devices for measuring the flight times of subnuclear particles. He was also instrumental in the creation of institutions such as the Gran Sasso National Laboratories and the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice. During his long career, he served as President of the INFN, President of the European Physical Society, Professor Emeritus at the University of Bologna, and as a promoter of important initiatives for peace and international scientific development (such as the Erice Declaration and the World Lab). An award-winning scientist and technological innovator, Zichichi leaves a vast legacy that ranges from antimatter research to the dissemination of scientific culture.
Over the years, many members of our Association have frequently participated in schools hosted at the Ettore Majorana Centre, as students, teachers, and directors (as in the picture, in 2014). For this reason, our Association express the deepest condolences to his family and joins the scientific community in mourning this significant loss.
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