Lise Meitner: Life and Achievements

Early Life and Education

• Lise Meitner was born in Vienna to a Jewish family
• Her father was a lawyer who created an intellectually stimulating environment
• At age 8 she showed an interest in mathematics and science
• She received private tutoring as girls were barred from state schools
• She passed the University of Vienna entrance exam at 23
• She was tutored by Ludwig Boltzmann
• She was the second woman to receive a doctorate in physics from the University of Vienna

Career Highlights

• Meitner moved to Berlin and worked as a departmental assistant at Max Planck's physics institute
• She became head of the physics department at the University of Berlin
• She was awarded the Leibniz Medal and became the supervisor of the physics section
• She fled Nazi Germany in 1938 and settled in Sweden
• She published the theory of nuclear fission with her nephew Otto Frisch
• She received the Enrico Fermi Award with Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann in 1966

Early Career and Radiation Research

• Meitner was invited by Max Planck to conduct postdoctoral studies at the University of Berlin
• She worked without salary alongside leading physicists including Einstein
• She worked with Otto Hahn studying radioactive elements and discovering new isotopes
• She became the first female physics professor in Germany in 1926

Enrico Fermi and Nuclear Chain Reaction

• Enrico Fermi created the first working nuclear chain reaction in 1942
• He had achieved nuclear fission in 1934
• Meitner’s and Otto Frisch’s work in 1939 prompted further nuclear research
• This research persuaded the US military of the potential for a nuclear bomb

Nuclear Discovery

• Meitner received a report from Hahn about unusual results of research on nuclear uranium
• Uranium seemed to “burst” and form barium when bombarded with neutrons

Personal Context and Nazi Era

• Meitner converted to Christianity in 1908
• She was increasingly vulnerable throughout the Nazi era as a Jewish woman
• She fled to Sweden in 1938 after Austria was annexed by Germany

Lise Meitner on Nuclear Fission

• Meitner worked with Otto Frisch to understand fission
• When uranium atoms split, the resulting nuclei weighed less than the original
• This mass was converted into energy following Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
• Meitner and Frisch published their findings in 1939
• This discovery was quickly followed by development of the atomic bomb
• Meitner did not receive the 1944 Nobel Prize, which was awarded only to Otto Hahn
• She remained optimistic and stated that science can bring joy and satisfaction

Hahn’s Experiment (1938)

• Hahn’s 1938 experiment included bombarding a nucleus with a neutron
• The bombardment caused the nucleus to split and release energy

Diagram Description

• The diagram shows a large nucleus splitting into two smaller nuclei, accompanied by a large burst of energy
• The splitting occurs after being bombarded with a neutron

Explore the remarkable journey of Lise Meitner, a pioneering physicist who made significant contributions to nuclear physics. From her early education in Vienna to her notable career in Berlin and her eventual escape to Sweden during WWII, this quiz covers the key milestones in her life and work.