Lise Meitner:
The creator of the nuclear bomb

By Mathéo Girardin Tarby
Published the 22/10/2025 à 13h00

Lise Meitner, forgotten pioneer of modern physics

Vienna, early 20th century. In a Europe where laboratories are masculine bastions, a young Austrian Jew imposes herself with a fierce passion for science. Lise Meitner, a brilliant and discreet physicist, will play a key role in one of the most explosive discoveries of the century: nuclear fission. Yet, his name remains in the shadows, victim of a tenacious historical oversight.

Picture of Otto Hahn

A journey fraught with obstacles... and light

Born in 1878, Lise Meitner must overcome the barriers imposed on women to access higher education. She obtained her doctorate in physics in Vienna, then moved to Berlin, where she collaborated with Otto Hahn. Together, they explore radioactivity and lay the foundations of nuclear physics. Meitner impresses with her rigor and intuition, to the point that Einstein nicknames her "our German Marie Curie".

Picture of Lise Meitner

A discovery that changes the world

In 1938, fleeing the Nazi regime, Meitner finds refuge in Sweden. There, she receives the results of an experiment conducted by Hahn and Strassmann: neutrons striking uranium produce barium. With her nephew Otto Frisch, she understands the implication: the nucleus splits. She names the phenomenon 'nuclear fission' and calculates its energy, confirming Einstein’s famous equation.

“Physics is an inner struggle for truth.“
Lise Meitner

A stolen recognition

Despite her decisive role, Meitner is ignored by the Nobel committee, which rewards Hahn alone in 1944. This silence illustrates the "Matilda effect", this mechanism of erasure of women scientists. Refusing to participate in the Manhattan Project, she campaigned for an ethical and peaceful science until her death in 1968. His heritage is immense, but his name too often remains forgotten.