Rutherford scattering

noun

, Physics.

1. the scattering of an alpha particle through a large angle with respect to the original direction of motion of the particle, caused by an atom Rutherford atom with most of the mass and all of the positive electric charge concentrated at a center or nucleus.

Rutherford scattering

1. The scattering undergone by a stream of heavy charged particles, generally alpha particles fired at a sample of a heavy metal, caused by exposure to coulomb forces exerted by the atomic nuclei of the sample. The patterns produced by such scattering off an extremely thin sheet of gold were early evidence that atoms contain a tiny, positively charged core, what is now called the atomic nucleus .

Word History and Origins

Origin of Rutherford scattering¹

First recorded in 1925–30; named after Ernest Rutherford