Electron scattering

The electron scattering is a common method of investigation, especially in atomic and nuclear physics. In this case, electrons are scattered by the Coulomb the atom, also the spins of the electron and the nucleus interact. From the analysis of the scattered electrons is obtained the shape factor of the charge distribution, which is the Fourier transform of the charge distribution. We distinguish between elastic and inelastic scattering.

The differential cross section is:

Due to the electron scattering major advances in the study of the structure of matter could in particular be made at the beginning of the 20th century. Of particular note is the scattering experiment by Ernest Rutherford, who had suggested that the atom consists of an electron cloud and a comparatively tiny core is.

• Nuclear physics
• Atomic physics