Approval of Lise Meitner

1989/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Fisika

In the July/August issue of this magazine we reported the 50th anniversary of the uranium fission. It explained the work done by Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn. In Germany, Lise's work in the discovery of the fission is recognized at the age of 21.

Otto-Hahn working table at the Deutsches Museum

The culprit for not knowing Meitner was largely Otto Hahn. It is understandable to maintain that in times of war he did not speak of fission with Meitner to justify himself before the Nazis, but did not continue at the same point after the war. Although Meitner's work has not been recognized worldwide, in Germany so far the Hahn version has been fully accepted.

On the first floor of the Deutsches Museum, for example, there is a table with a tool to ionize uranium with neutrons. At one end of the table you can read the “Otto Hahn’s work table”. Moreover, it is known that this device was designed by Lise Meitner.

One might think that the rejection of Lise Meitner is due to her condition as a woman.