---
category: Scientific Theory & Technology
summary: 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.
tags:
- Concept
- Nuclear
- Physics
---

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](/people/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]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 2.