Enrico Bombieri

Abstract

Enrico Bombieri was born in Milan in 1940. His precocious talent for mathematics was supported by his family, and while still a boy he came into contact with some eminent mathematical scholars. One of these was Giovanni Ricci, who worked in analysis and number theory; his influence would be a determining factor in Bombieri’s development. During these years Bombieri laid the foundations for his vast and in-depth knowledge of classical mathematics, which would be one of his distinguishing traits. He published his first work, concerning the solution to a Diophantine equation, in 1957, while still in high school; when he enrolled in mathematics at the University of Milan he already had the maturity of a professional mathematician. During his years at university, his name began to circulate in international mathematics circles; before he graduated, under Ricci’s supervision, he produced numerous results in various areas in number theory and complex analysis, some of which were of significant importance and made quite an impact on the mathematical community. One example dealt with the growth of the remainder term in the elementary proof of the prime number theorem. During this period Bombieri visited Trinity College in Cambridge to study with Harold Davenport, a distinguished mathematician and excellent supervisor, another key figure in his scientific formation.