PHL424: Rutherford scattering
discovery of nucleus
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
PHL424: Rutherford scattering
discovery of nucleus
1909: Rutherford, Geiger and Marsden studied in Manchester
the scattering of α-particles on thin gold foils.
Aim: from the angular distribution of the scattered
α-particles they wanted to gain information on
the structure of the scattering center.
Experimental set-up: Ra-source with Ekin(α) = 4.78 MeV
thin Au-foils (Z = 79, d = 2000 atomic layers)
detection of scattered α‘s with ZnS scintillator
1908: Nobel price
for chemistry Ernest Rutherford
(1871-1937)
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
Rutherford scattering
discovery of nucleus
observation:
𝜃𝜃
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 ~ 1�𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠4
2
scattering on a point-like atomic nucleus
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
Rutherford scattering
discovery of nucleus
Kinematic of elastic scattered α-particles
energy and momentum conservation
α-particles on electrons (Thomson model)
𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑒 max. momentum transfer Δp ~ 10-4·pi
≈ 10−4
𝑚𝑚𝛼𝛼 only small scattering angles θ ~ 00
α-particles on Au-nuclei (Rutherford model)
𝑚𝑚𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴−197 max. momentum transfer Δp ~ 2·pi
≈ 50 scattering angles up to θmax ~ 1800
𝑚𝑚𝛼𝛼
(backscattered α-particles)
mα = 4 GeV/c2 me = 0.511 MeV/c2 mAU-197 = 197 GeV/c2
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
Elastic scattering
In an elastic process
incoming particle:
projectile a + b → a’ + b’
the same particles are present both before and after the scattering,
i.e. the initial and the final state are identical (including quantum
target nucleus
numbers) up to momenta and energy.
The target b remains in its ground state, absorbing merely the recoil momentum and hence changing its kinetic
energy.
The scattering angle and the energy of the projectile a and the recoil energy and energy of the target b are
unambiguously correlated.
scattered outgoing particle a’
𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑎𝑎
𝑞𝑞⃗ = 𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑎𝑎 − 𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑎
beam particle a scattering angle θ
θ
𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑎 target nucleus b 𝑝𝑝𝑎𝑎
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
Rutherford scattering
𝑧𝑧 ∙ 𝑍𝑍 ∙ 𝑒𝑒 2
In the repulsive Coulomb potential 𝑉𝑉 𝑟𝑟 ~ the α-particle experiences a momentum change ∆𝑞𝑞⃗ = 𝑝𝑝𝑓𝑓 − 𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑖
𝑟𝑟
𝜃𝜃
∆𝑞𝑞 = 2 ∙ 𝑚𝑚 ∙ 𝑣𝑣 ∙ 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠
2
+∞
1 𝑧𝑧 ∙ 𝑍𝑍 ∙ 𝑒𝑒 2
∆𝑞𝑞 = � 𝐹𝐹∆𝑞𝑞 ∙ 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = � ∙ ∙ 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 ∙ 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
−∞ 4𝜋𝜋𝜀𝜀0 𝑟𝑟 2
𝜋𝜋−𝜃𝜃 /2
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 2 1 𝑧𝑧𝑧𝑧𝑒𝑒 2 1 𝑧𝑧𝑧𝑧𝑒𝑒 2 𝜃𝜃
angular momentum: 𝐿𝐿 = 𝑟𝑟⃗ × 𝑚𝑚 ∙ 𝑣𝑣⃗ = 𝑚𝑚 ∙ 𝑣𝑣 ∙ 𝑏𝑏 = 𝑚𝑚 ∙ ∙ 𝑟𝑟 ∆𝑞𝑞 = � ∙ 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 ∙ 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = ∙ 2 ∙ 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
/2 4𝜋𝜋𝜀𝜀0 𝑣𝑣 ∙ 𝑏𝑏 4𝜋𝜋𝜀𝜀0 𝑣𝑣 ∙ 𝑏𝑏 2
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
− 𝜋𝜋−𝜃𝜃
relation between impact parameter b
and scattering angle θ:
position 𝜃𝜃 1 𝑧𝑧 ∙ 𝑍𝑍 ∙ 𝑒𝑒 2 1
r(t), ϕ(t) 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 = ∙
2 4𝜋𝜋𝜀𝜀0 𝑚𝑚 ∙ 𝑣𝑣 2 𝑏𝑏
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
Rutherford scattering
scattering parameters
impact parameter:
𝜃𝜃𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
𝑏𝑏 = 𝑎𝑎 ∙ 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
2
distance of closest approach:
𝜃𝜃𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
𝐷𝐷 = 𝑎𝑎 ∙ 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠−1 +1
2
D
orbital angular momentum:
𝜃𝜃𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
ℓ = 𝑘𝑘∞ ∙ 𝑏𝑏 = 𝜂𝜂 ∙ 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
2
half distance of closest approach
in a head-on collision (θcm=1800):
θcm 0.72 ∙ 𝑍𝑍1 𝑍𝑍2 𝐴𝐴1 + 𝐴𝐴2
𝑎𝑎 = ∙ 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓
b 𝑇𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝐴𝐴2
D asymptotic wave number:
𝐴𝐴2
𝑘𝑘∞ = 0.219 ∙ ∙ 𝐴𝐴1 ∙ 𝑇𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓−1
𝐴𝐴1 + 𝐴𝐴2
Sommerfeld parameter:
𝐴𝐴1
𝜂𝜂 = 𝑘𝑘∞ ∙ 𝑎𝑎 = 0.157 ∙ 𝑍𝑍1 𝑍𝑍2 ∙
𝑇𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙
center of mass system
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
Cross section
The cross section gives the probability of a reaction between the two colliding particles
Consider an idealized experiment:
we bombard the target with a monoenergetic beam of
point-like particles a with a velocity va.
a thin target of thickness d and a total area A with Nb
scattering centers b and with a particle density nb.
each target particle has a cross-sectional area σb, which
we have to find by experiment!
→ Some beam particles are scattered by the scattering centers of the target, i.e. they are deflected from their
original trajectory. The frequency of this process is a measure of the cross section area of the scattered
particles σb.
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
Rutherford cross section
Particles from the ring defined by the impact parameter b and b+db scatter between angle θ and θ+dθ
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝑗𝑗 ∙ 2𝜋𝜋 ∙ 𝑏𝑏 ∙ 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 𝑗𝑗 ∙ 2𝜋𝜋 ∙ 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 ∙
𝑑𝑑Ω
𝑑𝑑𝜎𝜎 𝑏𝑏 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
=
𝑑𝑑Ω 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝜃𝜃 𝑑𝑑𝜃𝜃
𝜃𝜃
impact parameter: 𝑏𝑏 = 𝑎𝑎 ∙ 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
2
ring area: 2πb db
𝜃𝜃 𝜃𝜃 𝜃𝜃 𝜃𝜃
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑎𝑎 −𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 2 ∙ 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 2 − 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 2 ∙ 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 2 𝑎𝑎 1
= ∙ = ∙
𝑑𝑑𝜃𝜃 2 𝜃𝜃 2 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠2 𝜃𝜃
𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠2
2 2
𝜃𝜃
solid angle: 2π sinθ dθ 𝑑𝑑𝜎𝜎 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 2 1 𝑎𝑎
= 𝑎𝑎 ∙ ∙ ∙
𝑑𝑑Ω 𝜃𝜃 𝜃𝜃 𝜃𝜃 𝜃𝜃
𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 2 2 ∙ 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 2 ∙ 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 2 2 ∙ 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠2
2
𝑑𝑑𝜎𝜎 𝑎𝑎2 𝜃𝜃
an atomic nucleus exist = ∙ 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠−4
𝑑𝑑Ω 4 2
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
Elastic scattering and nuclear radius
4
2𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 + 208
82𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃
θ1/4 = 600, Eα = 30 MeV
→ Rint = 12.0 [fm]
𝑅𝑅𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 ≅ 𝑅𝑅𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 + 𝑅𝑅𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 + 3𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓
𝜃𝜃𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
𝐷𝐷 = 𝑎𝑎 ∙ 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠−1 +1
2
0.72 ∙ 𝑍𝑍1 𝑍𝑍2 𝐴𝐴1 + 𝐴𝐴2
𝑎𝑎 = ∙ 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓
𝑇𝑇𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝐴𝐴2
R.M. Eisenberg and C.E. Porter, Rev. Mod. Phys. 33, 190 (1961)
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
Elastic scattering and nuclear radius
Nuclear interaction radius: (distance of closest approach)
𝜃𝜃1/4
𝑅𝑅𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 = 𝐷𝐷 = 𝑎𝑎 ∙ 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠−1 +1
2
𝐶𝐶𝑝𝑝 + 𝐶𝐶𝑡𝑡
θ cm
𝑅𝑅𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 = 𝐶𝐶𝑝𝑝 + 𝐶𝐶𝑡𝑡 + 4.49 − 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓
1/ 4
6.35
𝐶𝐶𝑖𝑖 = 𝑅𝑅𝑖𝑖 ∙ 1 − 𝑅𝑅𝑖𝑖−2 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 1/3
𝑅𝑅𝑖𝑖 = 1.28 ∙ 𝐴𝐴𝑖𝑖
−1/3
− 0.76 + 0.8 ∙ 𝐴𝐴𝑖𝑖 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓
Nuclear density distributions at the nuclear interaction radius
θ1/4 = 600 → Rint = 13.4 [fm]
→ ℓgr = 152 [ħ]
J.R. Birkelund et al., Phys.Rev.C13 (1976), 133
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar Hans-Jürgen Wollersheim - 2017
