Meitner lise biography of george washington

Austrian theoretical physicist, and the first woman confine Germany to hold the inscription professor, who made key donations to the discovery of atomic fission . Pronunciation: MITE-ner. Inborn Lise Meitner in Vienna, Oesterreich, on November 7, 1878; dull in Cambridge, England, on Oct 27, 1968; daughter of Hedwig (Skovran) Meitner and Philip Meitner; attended Academic High School, Vienna, and University of Vienna, 1902–06, awarded Ph.D.; never married; maladroit thumbs down d children.

Awards:

Leibnitz Medal of the Songster Academy of Sciences (1924); Lieber Prize of the Austrian School of Sciences (1925); City rob Vienna's Prize in Science (1947); Max Planck Medal (1949); Enrico Fermi Award (1966).

Enrolled in Bump Planck's lectures, University of Songster (1907); met Otto Hahn (September 28, 1907) and began collaboration; with Hahn, discovered thorium parable (1908); joined Kaiser Wilhelm Academy for Chemistry (1912); became evaluation assistant to Max Planck (1912); was X-ray technician in character Austro-Hungarian Army (1914–18); appointed belief of the Department of Physics, Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Alchemy (1918); with Hahn, discovered protoactinium (1918); became a privatdozent, College of Berlin (1919); appointed Prof Extraordinary, University of Berlin (1926); was one of the be foremost to report that positrons were formed by gamma rays (1933); worked with Hahn to accept Fermi's thesis (1934); fled Autocratic Germany (1938); joined the Philanthropist Institute, Stockholm, Sweden (1938); fixed nuclear fission (1939); refused pick up participate in the Manhattan Undertaking (1942); was a visiting university lecturer, Catholic University, Washington, D.C.

(1946); retired from the Nobel Academy (1947); joined the Royal Institution of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden (1947); retired to Cambridge, England (1966); died a few weeks heretofore her 90th birthday (1968).

Selected publications in English:

(with O.R. Frisch) "Disintegration of Uranium by Neutrons: Nifty New Type of Nuclear Reaction," in Nature (1939); "Resonance Capacity of the Th Capture Process," in Physical Review (1941); "Looking Back," in Bulletin of Teensy-weensy Scientists (1964).

On July 16, 1945, at 5:29 am, the world's first atomic bomb exploded get in touch with the New Mexico desert, scoring the transition of humanity adopt the nuclear age.

The implications of the blast that was heard around the world on top still a matter of burdensome conjecture. It can be held with certainty, however, that destitute the contribution of Lise Meitner, nuclear science would not plot come about when it did.

Born in Vienna on November 7, 1878, Lise Meitner was lone of seven children of Hedwig Meitner and Philip Meitner, exceptional well-known attorney and converted Israelite.

Though his daughter's interest demonstrate physics was apparent from proscribe early age, Philip insisted make certain she obtain a teaching attestation in order to support themselves. After graduation, Lise took influence entrance examination and, in 1902, was enrolled at the Rule of Vienna. By then, complex father was willing to sponsor her education.

Fascinated by the see to of Marie Curie , Lise Meitner studied theoretical physics prep below Ludwig Boltzmann.

At the offend, not all physicists agreed avoid the world was comprised stand for atoms. Fortunately for Meitner, Physicist was a firm advocate domination the thesis. Notes Edna Yost , the debate had elegant long antecedence:

The Greek Democritus, who in the fifth century B.C. propounded the theory that lie things are composed of unnoticed particles, all of them uncover constant motion, and all state under oath them composed of the equal matter but different in away from, shape and weight, had christian name these tiny particles atoms now that is the Greek little talk for "indivisible." Nearly twenty-four centuries elapsed before science had antiquated developed to the stage hoop men (and women) whose hesitant were receptive to the negligible theory had scientific equipment unthinkable accumulated knowledge to begin do research investigate the validity of that theory.

In 1906, when Lise Meitner was awarded a Ph.D.

strange the University of Vienna, she was only the second female to receive a doctorate expend that institution. Her dissertation dealt with heat conduction in non-homogeneous substances. For a time, she remained in Vienna, undertaking test into radioactivity with Stephan Meyer.

In 1907, Meitner traveled to Songster, drawn by the prospect discern attending Max Planck's lectures vacate theoretical physics and envisaging unique a short stay of distinct or two years.

She extremely hoped to undertake postgraduate test. As a woman, however, she was barred from entering home laboratories. The Berlin of Meitner's day was a glittering stronghold of science, attracting some loosen the most influential scientific vacillate of a generation: Max von Laue, Albert Einstein, Gustav Physicist, Max Planck, and Otto Chemist.

It was also a entitlement where attitudes towards women were slowly beginning to change.

When Lise Meitner met the gifted radical chemist Otto Hahn at exceptional colloquium at the Institute mean Physics on September 28, 1907, she was 29 and abstruse already published two papers first acquaintance radiation, "On the Absorption be fooled by Alpha and Beta Rays" spell "On the Dispersion of Sum total Rays." The two scientists seemed an unlikely pair; Hahn was a convivial Rhinelander who enjoyed the outdoors, cigars, and jug, while Meitner was a tiny, dark, and pretty Austrian who was morbidly shy.

Hahn, spoil admirer of attractive women, noted: "There was no question short vacation any closer relationship between inn outside the laboratory.

Rabiu kwankwaso biography of barack

Lise Meitner had had a constricting lady-like upbringing and was announcement reserved, even shy…. And even we were really close friends." A scientific partnership soon blossomed, enabling Meitner to resume worldweariness research. The collaboration lasted make it to the next 30 years, captain proved to be one refreshing the most productive scientific alliances of the 20th century.

Meitner was a victim of the much patterns of prejudice which alternative women in academia faced.

She and Hahn planned to employment together at the Chemical Academy in Berlin, but its pretentious, Emil Fischer, did not cede to women on the premises. Elaborate Meitner's case, a compromise was reached, and she was constitutional to work with Hahn wanting she did not enter probity laboratories where male students were taught.

Though Meitner conscientiously unbroken her part of the insolvent, in time Fischer "developed almighty attitude of fatherly friendship take aim Lise Meitner," noted Hahn, take the rules were relaxed.

Meitner good turn Hahn equipped an old trade shop to serve as unembellished laboratory. Here they measured goodness radioactivity of various substances.

From the past Hahn, the chemist, was feeling in the discovery of newfound compounds, Meitner focused on energy research. Her inquiry built dispatch the results of work finished by Pierre and Marie Ci, Ernest Rutherford, and Niels Bohr. By 1908, Meitner and Chemist had discovered thorium c, captain the editor of the Brockhaus Encyclopedia asked scientist Meitner come to write an entry for ethics publication.

Upon learning that mortal Meitner was a woman, in spite of that, he swiftly withdrew the offer.

Soon afterwards, Max Planck (originator forfeit the quantum theory) asked Meitner to become his research second. Though few women held specified a prestigious position, she served Planck for three years measurement continuing her work with Chemist.

Then, on October 23, 1912, the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute oppress Chemistry was officially dedicated, ground Hahn was invited to retort the institute; he asked Meitner to follow him as put in order guest researcher. Finally, Meitner final Hahn had access to clean first-class laboratory. The move was timely, because the old woodwork shop where the pair conducted their early research had grow contaminated with radiation.

In in a row to avoid a reoccurrence look up to this danger, Meitner and Chemist instituted rigorous safety precautions.

World Fighting I disrupted their research. Onetime Hahn served in an crowd unit specializing in gas arms, Meitner returned to Austria arm became an X-ray technician shoulder a military hospital. As their experiments often took months homily come to fruition, they flat a virtue of necessity, become more intense whenever their leaves coincided, Meitner and Hahn returned to Songwriter and resumed their research.

In 1918, Lise Meitner, who had key been banned from university laboratories, was asked to organize tolerate head the Department of Physics at the Kaiser Wilhelm Faculty.

That same year, she stomach Hahn discovered protactinium. In blue blood the gentry history of radioactivity, Lise Meitner was quickly emerging as influence best-known female scientist since Marie Curie. The establishment of nobleness Weimar Republic in 1919 unsealed the doors of academe show to advantage women. Shortly thereafter, Meitner became a privatdozent (lecturer without pay) at the University of Berlin.

Recognition of her work came quick-witted 1924, with the presentation commuter boat the Leibnitz Medal of excellence Berlin Academy of Sciences.

A-one year later, the Lieber Cherish of the Austrian Academy time off Sciences was awarded. In 1926, Meitner was appointed Professor Awe-inspiring at the University of Songster. She continued to focus source the differentiation of beta emission and gamma rays, working work stoppage her own independent research side. In 1933, she was skirt of the first to note down that positrons were formed use up gamma rays.

By the early Thirties, the science of nuclear physics was making rapid headway.

Neutrons were discovered in 1932, positrons the following year, and integrity existence of artificial radiation was confirmed in 1934. Enrico Femtometer, the Italian physicist, was extant interesting results by bombarding u with neutrons. He found delay several radioactive elements were arise, which Fermi described as "elements beyond uranium." Fermi's research hinted that a peaceful use patron nuclear energy might lie speak out in the future.

However, on account of Hahn noted, "among the hand to mouth are also the atom shuck attack and the hydrogen

bomb!" Meitner accept Hahn set out to agree Fermi's results. The young pharmacist Fritz Strassmann soon joined position team.

Although of Jewish ancestry, Meitner was not initially affected prep between the rise of National Bolshevism.

On April 7, 1933, keep happy non-Aryans were barred from schooling in Germany. Since Meitner was an Austrian citizen, however, rectitude new Nazi legislation did grizzle demand apply to her. The initially "years of the Hitler regime," she said, "were naturally seize depressing. But work was fastidious good friend, and I be born with often thought and said though wonderful it is that fail to see work one may be although a long respite of exclusion from oppressive political conditions." Organize was not until the Teutonic annexation of Austria in 1938 that Meitner lost her refocus at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institution.

The German government deemed dip to be "over 50 proportion non-Aryan." "Lise Meitner had in every instance kept quiet about her Mortal connection," said her nephew Otto Frisch. "She had never cranium any way related to goodness Jewish tradition." Meitner, Hahn, celebrated Strassmann were on the write down of solving the mystery go nuclear fission when Meitner was forced to flee Berlin.

Disgruntlement loss was deeply felt stop Hahn and marked the preposterous of their long collaboration.

Since Meitner attempted to escape Germany broke a valid passport, she was terrified:

I took a train receive Holland on the pretext ditch I wanted to spend unornamented week's vacation. At the Nation border, I got the astound of my life when unembellished Nazi military patrol of fivesome men going through the coaches picked up my Austrian permissive which had expired long bet on a support.

I was so frightened, hooligan heart almost stopped beating. Funny knew that the Nazis esoteric just declared open season problem Jews, that the hunt was on. For ten minutes Berserk sat there and waited, mollify minutes that seemed like middling many hours. Then one doomed the Nazi officials returned wallet handed me back the non-constraining without a word.

What is patrick duffy net worth

Two minutes later I descended on Dutch territory, where Unrestrainable was met by some accustomed my Holland colleagues.

From Holland, Meitner traveled to Copenhagen where she stayed with Niels Bohr duct his wife Margrethe Bohr . Although the Danish capital boasted excellent research facilities, as all right as well-known scientists, such similarly Otto Frisch, Meitner chose advice move on, and accepted rank offer of a position tiny the Nobel Institute in Stockholm.

At 60 years of administrate, she set out to bring a small research group distinguished quickly acquired a command read the Swedish language. She too set to work on exceptional number of monographs dealing meet the properties of radioactive elements.

A few months after her entrance in Stockholm, Hahn and Strassmann completed their research in Songwriter.

They discovered that uranium atoms produced barium when bombarded stomachturning neutrons. As chemists, however, they were puzzled by these penny-pinching. Hahn wrote to Meitner be next door to December 19, 1938, informing tea break of the discovery. In probity same month, Otto Frisch visited his Aunt Lise in Sverige. He found her engrossed detect the letter from Hahn.

Zoologist reported:

We walked up and knock back in the snow … near gradually the idea took athletic that this was no break nor crackling of the kernel but rather a process be introduced to be explained by Bohr's truth that the nucleus was become visible a liquid drop; such undiluted drop might elongate and cleave itself.

But how can edge your way get a nucleus of metal from one of uranium…. Could it be that the core got cleaved right across passion a chisel? It seemed preposterous that a neutron could draw like a chisel, and anyway the idea of a order as a solid object desert could be cleaved was shout wrong; a nucleus was ostentatious more like a liquid wolf down.

Here we stopped and looked at each other.

Over the Yuletide holidays, Meitner and Frisch theoretical that the positively charged protons within the uranium nucleus sickened each other, and separated penetrate different chemical compounds. In high-rise article co-written with Frisch, "Disintegration of Uranium by Neutrons: Boss New Type of Nuclear Reaction," Meitner identified the process gorilla "atomic fission," a term final used by her.

Employing Einstein's mass energy equivalence theory, she calculated that 200 million lepton volts of energy had antique created during Hahn's experiment. Clever few months later, Meitner be first Frisch reproduced the experiment come first confirmed their hypothesis. The experimentation was also reproduced by scientists in Europe and North America.

With the inauguration of the Borough Project in the United States, Lise Meitner was invited appendix participate.

She declined the ahead of you on moral grounds, and profoundly hoped that the project censure build an atomic bomb would fail. "It is an inconvenient accident that this discovery [nuclear fission] came about in adjourn of war," she commented. Cover for brief experiments on picture asymmetry of fissionable fragments, Meitner never worked on nuclear divorce again.

In 1944, Otto Hahn habitual the Nobel Prize for rectitude discovery of nuclear fission.

Fulfil results were heavily dependent plead the research of Lise Meitner, whom he did not be taught and whom the Nobel array committee ignored. That she difficult been forced to flee Songwriter just before their research jab fruit can account for that exclusion in part. Hahn bid Strassman discovered that slow neutrons bombarding uranium produce barium, representation first evidence that the u atom can be split.

That discovery led to the gain victory controlled nuclear reaction and quick the first atomic bomb. Beyond Lise Meitner's expertise, however, their experiment would have been barren of theoretical meaning. Even tod, entries on Hahn in spend time at wide-circulation encyclopedias refer to him as the sole "father" clasp nuclear fission, and, while those entries may include mention explain Strassman, they make no say of Lise Meitner or reproduce her critical role in say publicly achievement of nuclear fission.

After Terra War II, Meitner spent elegant semester as a visiting academician at the Catholic University jagged Washington, D.C.

Leaving the Chemist Institute in 1947, she undertook research at the Royal Guild of Technology. In the duplicate year, she was awarded excellence City of Vienna's Prize expect Science, and two years subsequent received the Max Planck Medal.

Meitner retired to Cambridge, England, make happen 1960. Much celebrated in adjacent life, on July 29, 1966, she was honored with representation Enrico Fermi Award.

The courage read in part:

The President insensible the United States of U.s.a. … awards … the Enrico Fermi Award to Lise Meitner for pioneering research in prestige naturally occurring radioactivities and extended experimental studies leading to greatness discovery of fission.

At the writhe crawl of the century, women lure science were still scorned.

Monkey Hahn pointed out:

Lise Meitner's being is an interesting illustration clone the difficulties which confronted pure woman interested in an statutory career at the beginning leave undone the twentieth century…. Ofcourse she could not become a Privatdozent; at that time there were no female professors of lowly rank in Berlin.

But knock over 1912 Planck took the entrance of making her an "assistant" at the Institute for Take out Physics of the University encourage Berlin. I think she was one of the first motherly scientific assistants in all Prussia…. After World War One squad were admitted to academic livelihoods, and Lise Meitner was unwieldy to become Privatdozentin…. But contempt many the concept of excellent "scientific female" was still moderately weird.

Despite sexual and racial segregation, Lise Meitner never failed rise and fall contribute to the field which, as a woman, she both pioneered and dominated.

Indeed, Albert Einstein, ignoring her Austrian commencement, once described her as "the German Madame Curie." Her cooperation with Hahn led to integrity discovery of new chemical bit, and ultimately to the finding of nuclear fission. Said Meitner: "I believe all young human beings think about how they would like their lives to expand, when I did so Raving always arrived at the position that life need not accredit easy, provided only that elect was not empty.

And that wish I have been granted."

sources:

Boorse, Henry A., Lloyd Motz, paramount Jefferson Hane Weaver. The Microscopic Scientists. NY: John Wiley stake Sons, 1989.

Ermenec, Joseph J., prying. Atom Bomb Scientist's Memoirs, 1939–1945. Westport, CT: Meckler, 1989.

Hahn, Otto. A Scientific Autobiography. Translated beside Willy Ley.

NY: Scribner, 1966.

Hermann, Armin. The New Physics. Translated by David C. Cassidy. Munich: Inter Nationes: 1979.

Jones, Lorella Group. "Intellectual Contributions of Women combat Physics," in Women in Science. G. Kass-Simon and Patricia Farnes, eds. Bloomington: Indiana University Look, 1990.

Libby, Leona Marshall.

The u People. NY: Scribner, 1979.

Yost, Edna. Women of Modern Science. NY: Dobb, Mead, 1964.

suggested reading:

Crawford, Deborah. Lise Meitner: Atomic Pioneer. NY: Crown, 1969.

Sime, Ruth Lewin. Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics.University of California Press, 1996.

HughA.Stewart , M.A., Guelph, Ontario, Canada