Without her, he was half a scientist, an experimenter without the ability to read the meaning behind the results. He understood the outcomes only in terms of chemistry, able to identify the elements and particles that occurred. He had no idea what was happening within the atomic nucleus, what caused the “new” elements and particles—that was a question of physics. Without Hahn, Meitner wouldn’t have been able to run as many experiments. And his name alongside hers on their published papers gave her instant authority.
