Rutherford’s alpha-particle scattering experiment was responsible for the discoveiy of

Ernest Rutherford’s alpha-particle scattering experiment, conducted between 1908 and 1913, led to the groundbreaking discovery of the atomic nucleus [1]. In this experiment, Rutherford and his colleagues fired positively charged alpha particles (helium nuclei) at a thin sheet of gold foil [1]. While most particles passed through, a small fraction scattered at large angles or bounced back entirely [1]. Rutherford concluded that this scattering was caused by a dense, hard, and positively charged core at the center of the atom, which he identified as the nucleus. This discovery disproved the prevailing 'plum pudding' model and established that atoms consist of a tiny, massive central nucleus surrounded by mostly empty space where electrons reside. Although Rutherford later discovered the proton, the specific scattering experiment is primarily credited with identifying the nuclear structure of the atom.

Sources

1. [1] https://www.fnal.gov/pub/inquiring/timeline/03.html