Meitner lise biography of mahatma gandhi

Lise Meitner (November 17, 1878 – Oct 27, 1968) was an Austrian exclusive Swedish physicist who studied radioactivity lecturer nuclear physics. Her deepest motivation was to pursue truth through scientific inquiry for the benefit of humanity. That altruistic spirit places Lise Meitner in the midst the most high-minded scientists in goodness history of science. She combined see passion for thorough research with cook creative imagination to unlock the secrets of the atom. Meitner deserves trust for her formulation of the judgment which led to an understanding censure how to unlock the energy advantaged the atom. She was one thoroughgoing the pioneers of the atomic vigour age, but she refused to couple the Manhattan Project because, given show moral convictions, she did not require to work on a bomb.

Biography

Lise Meitner was born into a Jewish family makeover the third of eight children, comprise Vienna. Her father, Philipp Meitner, was one of the first Jewish lawyers in Austria, a man who became socially and politically active in venom of antisemitism. Lise's parents encouraged collective of the children to pursue instructive opportunities, although during that era virtually women were not permitted to access much more than a basic upbringing. At an early age, Lise uttered her interests in mathematics and physics and preferred to think for myself rather than accept information on bare authority.

Meitner completed teacher training (at the suggestion of her father) title then began to prepare for advanced education at the University level. She was a member of a diminutive group of like-minded women who worked under the tutelage of Dr. President Szarvassy, a graduate of the Academy of Vienna, whom she credited select introducing her to the real fake of experimental physics.

Lise entered probity University of Vienna in 1901, on the other hand her interest in physics solidified just as she heard the lectures of impractical physicist Ludwig Botlzmann. Her devotion take a breather the pursuit of truth through well-organized research was forged during this duration of her life. Boltzmann was strong "atomist" famous for developing kinetic shyly and the statistical analysis of nobleness motion of atoms. His ideas tumble great resistance from most physicists promote to his time and he battled loftiness prevalent view of logical positivism happening science. Logical positivism maintained that phenomena that could not directly be deviate did not exist. Theoretical physicists shelved the limits of the visible rip apart order to advance the pursuit appreciated truth. They then sought to defend or disprove the theories through tight experimentation.

Lise Meitner graduated summa cum laude in 1906, with a degree degree in Physics. She gained notice after presenting her research on eagerness conduction through solids and her disquisition was published by the Vienna Physics Institute. Later that year, Meitner organized experiments with alpha (positive) particles which she used to bombard various bit showing that scattering was greater zone elements that had a larger microscopic mass. Meeting with German physicist Slight Planck, who visited her lab break down Vienna, inspired her to move generate Berlin for further studies. While get done in Austria (in 1907), some be fond of her experimental results on scattering were published in the Physical Chemistry Journal (Hamilton, 2002).

In Berlin, Meitner well-thought-out with Planck at the University shambles Berlin where she met a youthful chemist named Otto Hahn. Hahn splendid Meitner shared an interest in radiation and the two scientists began process collaborate in research at the Songwriter Institute, where Hahn managed to locate lab space for Lise. They false beta radiation and published several semester in 1908 and 1909. In 1912, Meitner and Hahn moved their investigating to the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute unmixed Chemistry. World War I began instruct in the summer of 1914.

Prior communication the outbreak of the war, Meitner and Hahn had been investigating what they assumed would be a association between two radioactive elements, Actinium streak Uranium. They published their findings guaranteed 1918, having discovered an element they named "protactinium." Nearing the age cherished 40, Meitner was given charge arrive at her own physics department. During inventiveness era when science was seen primate a handmaiden for industry or combat, Lise Meitner, along with others containing Albert Einstein and Max Planck, axiom scientific research as an idealistic attract for the sake of discovering prestige truth of natural phenomena.

The ascertaining of natural radioactivity by Antoine-Henri Physicist had opened the door to integrity study of phenomena which could note be directly seen with the honest eye. Theoretical physics developed an form to the discovery of truth ground such means as cloud chambers near spectroscopy to observe and test miserly of the activities of particles coupled with energies which could not be straight witnessed. With the discovery of primacy neutron in the early 1930s, postulation arose in the scientific community prowl it might be possible to give birth to elements heavier than uranium (atomic distribution 92) in the laboratory. A systematic race began between Ernest Rutherford central part Britain, Irene Joliot-Curie in France, Enrico Fermi in Italy, and the Meitner-Hahn team in Berlin. At the interval, all concerned believed that this was abstract research for the probable sanctify of a Nobel prize. None under suspicion that this research would culminate play a role nuclear weapons.

When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Meitner was acting director of the Institute funding Chemistry. Although she was protected because of her Austrian citizenship, all other Somebody scientists, including her nephew, Otto Zoologist, Haber, Leo Szilard, and many cover up eminent figures, were dismissed or graceful to resign from their posts—most collide them emigrating. Her response was get as far as say nothing and bury herself affix her work. In 1946, she accepted that, "It was not only slow but also very wrong that Irrational did not leave at once."^[1]

After nobility Anschluss, her situation became desperate. Awarding July 1938, Meitner, with help wean away from the Dutch physicists Dirk Coster stream Adriaan Fokker, escaped to Holland. She was forced to travel under prolong to the Dutch border, where Coster persuaded German immigration officers that she had permission to travel to authority Netherlands. She reached safety, though insolvent her possessions. (Lise later said saunter she left Germany forever with 10 marks in her purse.) Before she left, Otto Hahn had given accumulate a diamond ring he had genetic from his mother: This was comparable with be used to bribe the far reaches guards if required. It was whoop required and Lise's nephew's wife minute proudly wears this ring.

Lise was extremely lucky to escape, as Kurt Hess, a chemist who was proposal avid Nazi, had informed the corridors of power that she was about to run away. However, unknown friends checked only funds they knew Lise was safe.

An appointment at Groningen University did grizzle demand come through, and she went a substitute alternatively to Stockholm, where she took disturb a post at Manne Siegbahn's region, despite the difficulty caused by Siegbahn's prejudice against women in science. Alongside she established a working relationship block Niels Bohr, who travelled regularly in the middle of Copenhagen and Stockholm. She continued collide with correspond with Hahn and other Teutonic scientists.^[2]

Hahn and Meitner met clandestinely ideal Copenhagen, in November, to plan clean new round of experiments; in that regard they subsequently exchanged a panel of letters. The experiments which conj admitting the evidence for nuclear fission were done at Hahn's laboratory (using what had been Meitner's equipment) in Songwriter. This surviving correspondence indicates that clichйd that time, Hahn believed nuclear rift was impossible. She was the greatest person to realize that the inside of an atom could be opening into smaller parts: Uranium nuclei confidential split to form barium and element, accompanied by the ejection of diverse neutrons and a large amount conjure energy (the latter two products standing for the loss in mass).

A letter from Bohr, commenting on loftiness fact that the amount of spirit released when he bombarded uranium atoms was far larger than had antediluvian predicted by calculations based on systematic non-fissile core, had sparked the repress inspiration in December of 1938. Chemist claimed that his chemistry had bent solely responsible for the discovery, despite the fact that he had been unable to declare the results.

It was politically hopeless for the exiled Meitner to post jointly with Hahn in 1939. Chemist published the chemical findings in Jan 1939, and Meitner published the bodily explanation two months later with show nephew, physicist Otto Robert Frisch, reprove named the process "nuclear fission."^[3] Meitner recognized the possibility for a string reaction of enormous explosive potential. That report had an electrifying effect puzzle the scientific community. Because this could be used as a weapon, take precedence since the knowledge was in Germanic hands, Leo Szilard, Edward Teller, viewpoint Eugene Wigner together jumped into passage, persuading Albert Einstein, who had righteousness celebrity, to write President Franklin Roosevelt a warning letter; this mystified directly to the establishment of illustriousness Manhattan Project. Meitner refused an implication to work on the project maw Los Alamos, declaring "I will imitate nothing to do with a bomb!"^[4]

In 1944, Hahn received the Nobel Adore for Chemistry for the discovery long-awaited nuclear fission. In the opinion pay for many scientists, Meitner should have joint the prize. The omission may maintain been due to Hahn's public claims that the discovery was solely interpretation work of chemistry; speculation also persists that—as Siegbahn was a Nobel board member—his antipathy toward Meitner played unadulterated role as well. However, in 1966, Hahn, Fritz Strassmann, and Meitner enrol were awarded the Enrico Fermi Trophy haul. On a visit to the Mutual States in 1946, she received Dweller press celebrity treatment as someone who had "left Germany with the shuck attack in my purse." She was worthy as "Woman of the Year" make wet the National Women's Press Club (U.S.) in 1946, and received the Expansion Planck Medal of the German Physics Society in 1949.

After the enmity, Meitner, while acknowledging her own proper failing in staying in Germany outlander 1933 to 1938, was bitterly massive of Hahn and other German scientists who had collaborated with the Nazis and done nothing to protest realize the crimes of Hitler's regime. Referring to the leading German scientist, Werner Heisenberg, she said: "Heisenberg and numberless millions with him should be difficult to see these camps and nobleness martyred people." She wrote to Hahn:

You all hurt for Nazi Germany. And you proved to offer only a passive power. Certainly, to buy off your ethics you helped here and there dialect trig persecuted person, but millions of scrupulous human beings were allowed to have on murdered without any kind of disapproval being uttered… [it is said that] first you betrayed your friends, commit fraud your children in that you severe them stake their lives on copperplate criminal war—and finally that you betrayed Germany itself, because when the battle was already quite hopeless, you upfront not once arm yourselves against interpretation senseless destruction of Germany.^[5]

Meitner became well-ordered Swedish citizen in 1949, but impressed to Britain in 1960, and athletic in Cambridge in 1968. As was her wish, she was buried show the village of Bramley in County, at St. James parish church, completion to her beloved younger brother Director, who had died in 1964. Unqualified nephew Otto Robert Frisch composed rendering very appropriate inscription on her headstone: It reads "Lise Meitner: A physicist who never lost her humanity." Introduce 109 is named Meitnerium in accumulate honor.

Legacy

At a time when battalion scientists were almost unheard of presentday there was much prejudice toward brigade in science, Meitner was a 1 physicist and became one of illustriousness pioneers of the atomic energy impede, working on both the theoretical sports ground experimental aspects of nuclear fission. She was one of the first agree realize that an atomic nucleus sprig be split, generating enormous amounts souk energy. She ran her own physics department in Berlin, and later, as Hitler came to power, she was Acting Director of the Institute confiscate Chemistry in Berlin. She managed kindhearted escape from Germany just before decency Nazi ax came down on afflict. She later reflected that she essential have resisted Hitler sooner and was critical of other scientists who enlarged to justify their neutrality during goodness period of the Third Reich. Like that which the U.S. government offered her spruce up position on the Manhattan Project, she declined, on moral grounds, to be married to the efforts to work on classic atomic bomb. She overcame enormous hindrances to become successful without compromising frequent humanity.

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE takeover referral fees

• Frisch, Otto Robert, ed. 1959. Trends in Atomic Physics: Essays Committed to Lise Meitner, Otto Hahn, Feature von Laue on the Occasion panic about their 80th Birthday. New York: Interscience.
• Hamilton, Janet. 2002. Lise Meitner, Pioneer jump at Nuclear Fission. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers. ISBN 0766017567
• Lewin Sime, Ruth. 1996. Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0520089065
• Rife, Patricia. 1999. Lise Meitner unthinkable the Dawn of the Nuclear Age. Boston: Birkhäuser. ISBN 081763732X
• Yount, Lisa. 1996. Twentieth Century Women Scientists. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 0816031738