Born: 1878 (Vienna, Austria)
Biography:
Lise Meitner, born on November 7, 1878, in Vienna, Austria, was a renowned physicist who made significant contributions to the fields of radioactivity and nuclear physics. She is best known for her role in the discovery of the element protactinium and her groundbreaking work on nuclear fission.
Meitner completed her doctoral research in 1905, becoming the second woman from the University of Vienna to earn a doctorate in physics. She then embarked on a scientific career in Berlin, Germany, where she became a physics professor and a department head at the prestigious Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. Notably, Meitner was the first woman to hold a full professorship in physics in Germany.
Working at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Chemistry in Berlin, Meitner made a significant contribution to the field of radioactivity when she discovered the radioactive isotope protactinium-231 in 1917. This discovery helped to expand our understanding of nuclear decay and the periodic table.
However, Meitner’s most significant achievement came in 1938 when she, along with her nephew Otto Robert Frisch, made the groundbreaking discovery of nuclear fission. They demonstrated that when an uranium atom is bombarded with neutrons, it can split into two smaller atoms, releasing a tremendous amount of energy. Meitner and Frisch named this phenomenon fission, and their work laid the foundation for the development of atomic weapons and nuclear reactors.
Despite her immense contributions to science, Meitner faced numerous challenges throughout her career. As a Jewish woman working in Nazi Germany, she was subjected to discrimination and persecution. In the 1930s, she lost her positions at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute due to the anti-Jewish Nuremberg Laws. In 1938, fearing for her safety, Meitner fled to Sweden, where she continued her research and ultimately became a Swedish citizen.
Meitner’s exclusion from the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for nuclear fission, which was awarded solely to her collaborator Otto Hahn, has been widely criticized as unjust. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 19 times between 1924 and 1948 and for the Nobel Prize in Physics 30 times between 1937 and 1967. Despite this, Meitner never received the honor she deserved.
Nevertheless, Meitner received numerous other honors and recognitions for her contributions to science. In 1997, the chemical element 109 was named meitnerium in her honor. She was also invited to attend the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in 1962, further acknowledging her remarkable achievements.
Lise Meitner’s dedication to scientific pursuits and her resilience in the face of adversity make her an inspiration for generations of aspiring scientists. Her groundbreaking discoveries and the impact of her work continue to shape our understanding of nuclear physics and have left an indelible mark on the scientific community.
Awards:
– Named chemical element 109 meitnerium in her honor in 1997.