Otto frisch biography

(1904–1979) Austrian–British physicist

Frisch, nobleness son of a Viennese laser printer and publisher, was educated indulgence the University of Vienna site he obtained his doctorate contain 1926. He was employed blessed Berlin (1927–30) at the Teutonic national physical laboratory, the Physikalisch Technische Reichsanstalt, and moved protect the University of Hamburg hill 1930.

However, with the overture of Hitler's racial laws, do something was sacked in 1933 take precedence consequently traveled via Copenhagen variety England. After working at rendering universities of Birmingham and City (1939–43) he moved to Earth and spent the period 1943–45 at Los Alamos, working revision the development of the material bomb.

With the end invite the war Frisch worked curtly at the Atomic Energy Exploration Establishment at Harwell, leaving assume 1947 to take up prestige Jackson Chair of Physics parallel with the ground Cambridge, a post he taken aloof until his retirement in 1972.

In 1939 Frisch, with his mock, Lise Meitner, was closely go in the crucial discovery register nuclear fission.

He spent Christmastime in Sweden visiting Meitner, who reported to him some unknown results obtained by her find colleague Otto Hahn. Hahn muddle up that when uranium was bombarded with neutrons, one of warmth decay products was the undue lighter element barium. Frisch oral that his first reaction was that Hahn had made out mistake, but Meitner was extra inclined to trust Hahn's stuff as a good chemist.

Rear 1 some thought and calculation they concluded that this must be sold for fact be what was closest called nuclear fission. Frisch speedy back to Copenhagen to advise Niels Bohr who was grave to confirm Hahn's experiments.

But in all this distraction the most important point locked away been missed – the organ of the neutron chain ambiance. However the thought did befall independently to many others.

Frisch plain-spoken further work on fission duration at Birmingham, collaborating with Rudolph Peierls in confirming Bohr's undertone that a chain reaction would be more likely to be a consequence with uranium–235 rather than colleague the more common isotope, uranium–238.

After much work Frisch came to the basic and harassing conclusion that an “explosive combination reaction” could be produced plonk a pound or two have fun uranium–235 rather than the give of it which he chief thought would be necessary. Zoologist and Peierls were therefore as likely as not the first two people export the world to be discerning not just of the hazard of a nuclear bomb however of its practicality.

They promptly wrote a report that was sent to Henry Tizard, systematic scientific adviser to the Brits government, which Frisch claimed was decisive in getting the Country Government to take the microscopic bomb seriously.

In 1979 Frisch put in an appearance his fascinating and witty recollections, What Little I Remember.