Nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller, lighter nuclei, often producing gamma photons, and releasing a very large amount of energy. This process is the basis for nuclear power reactors and nuclear weapons.[^1] [[Ernst David Bergmann]] was introduced to the world of the atom and nuclear fission in the early 1920s as a student at the Emil Fischer Institute of the University of Berlin. He was part of a circle of eminent scientists who were at the cutting edge of unraveling the mystery of nuclear fission in the prewar years.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 2.