Stellar nucleosynthesis (Bethe)

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Who

Hans Bethe, a German-American physicist of partly Jewish descent (his mother was Jewish) who fled Nazi Germany.

When

1939

Where

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States

Stellar nucleosynthesis explains how stars produce energy and forge chemical elements through nuclear fusion. Hans Bethe worked out the main fusion cycles that power stars in 1939, work for which he received the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physics. Bethe's mother was Jewish, and under Nazi racial laws he was dismissed and forced to emigrate, continuing his career in the United States.

Part of “The Gifts of the Jews” — verified Jewish contributions to the world, with sources.