Who they are
Hans Geiger investigated alpha-particle scattering with Ernest Marsden at Manchester. Their 1909 experiments counted scintillations to detect particles returning toward a metal target’s incident side. This work supplied experimental evidence used by Rutherford in 1911, keeping measurement and subsequent theoretical interpretation distinct.
He links detector-based measurement to the emergence of a concentrated-charge atomic model.
Selected contributions
- Coauthored the experimental report comparing alpha-particle reflection from metals and different thicknesses.Source ↗
Selected works
Academic paper · 1909
On a Diffuse Reflection of the α-Particles
Geiger and Marsden report that a small fraction of alpha particles can return toward the incident side of a metal target. Their comparisons of materials and thickness supplied experimental evidence later used in Rutherford’s atomic model.
Reading scope & citation
Fresh inspection: Four-page transcription read for byline, measurement method, backward scattering, material/thickness comparisons and acknowledgment of Rutherford. Raw counts and transcription against original facsimile not independently checked.
In the timeline
Biography sources & portrait credit
- The Scattering of α and β Particles by Matter and the Structure of the Atom ↗Philosophical Magazine 21, 669–688; publisher PDF hosted by University of Tübingen
- On a Diffuse Reflection of the α-Particles ↗Proceedings of the Royal Society A; transcription hosted by INFN Bologna
Portrait credit
Unknown photographer. Public domain (Commons file-specific copyright declaration). Via Wikimedia Commons.
Photograph. Cropped to 4:5, resized to 320 × 400 and converted to WebP.
Image source & identification ↗ · Public domain (Commons file-specific copyright declaration) ↗
