Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson, OM, FRS, HonFRSE[7] (30 August 1871 – 19 October 1937), was a New Zealand physicist who was a pioneering researcher in both atomic and nuclear physics. He has been described as "the father of nuclear physics",[8] and "the greatest experimentalist since Michael Faraday".[9] In 1908, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements, and the chemistry of radioactive substances." He was the first Oceanian Nobel laureate, and the first to perform the awarded work in Canada.
Rutherford's discoveries include the concept of radioactive half-life, the radioactive element radon, and the differentiation and naming of alpha and beta radiation. Together with Thomas Royds, Rutherford is credited with proving that alpha radiation is composed of helium nuclei.[10][11] In 1911, he theorized that atoms have their charge concentrated in a very small nucleus.[12] This was done through his discovery and interpretation of Rutherford scattering during the gold foil experiment performed by Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, resulting in his conception of the Rutherford model of the atom. In 1917, he performed the first artificially-induced nuclear reaction by conducting experiments where nitrogen nuclei were bombarded with alpha particles. As a result, he discovered the emission of a subatomic particle which he initially called the "hydrogen atom", but later (more accurately) named the proton.[13][14] He is also credited with developing the atomic numbering system alongside Henry Moseley. His other achievements include advancing the fields of radio communications and ultrasound technology.
Rutherford became Director of the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge in 1919. Under his leadership, the neutron was discovered by James Chadwick in 1932. In the same year, the first controlled experiment to split the nucleus was performed by John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton, working under his direction. In honour of his scientific advancements, Rutherford was recognised as a baron of the United Kingdom. After his death in 1937, he was buried in Westminster Abbey near Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton. The chemical element rutherfordium (104Rf) was named after him in 1997.
- ^ "Ernest Rutherford and Frederick Soddy". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
- ^ "University of the Punjab - Science". pu.edu.pk. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
The expedition included Professor James Martin Benade (Professor of Physics at Forman Christian College Lahore) and Dr. Nazir Ahmad (a PhD student of Ernest Rutherford at Cambridge who later on became the First Chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in 1956).
- ^ Hameed, A. Khan; Qurashi, M. M.; Hussain, E. T.; Hayee, M. I., eds. (2006). "Physics in Developing Countries – Past, Present & Future" (PDF). Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South. COMSATS Series of Publications on Science and Technology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Government College University, Lahore (GCU) (4 September 2009). "Dr. Rafi Muhammad Chaudhri Chair in Physics – About the Chair". Chief Librarian GC University Library, Lahore. GC University. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Grodzins, Lee (February 1994). "Obituaries: Zhang Wen-Yu". Physics Today. 47 (2): 116. doi:10.1063/1.2808417.
Zhang studied under Ernest Rutherford in the mid-1930s, receiving his degree from Cambridge University in 1938.
- ^ Zhang Wenyu (张文裕) (28 March 2018). 高能实验物理学家张文裕：回忆导师卢瑟福生命中的最后两年. thepaper.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ Eve, A. S.; Chadwick, J. (1938). "Lord Rutherford 1871–1937". Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society. 2 (6): 394. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1938.0025.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Fatherwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Badash, Lawrence. "Ernest Rutherford | Accomplishments, Atomic Theory, & Facts | Britannica". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ Campbell, John. "Rutherford – A Brief Biography". Rutherford.org.nz. Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ^ Rutherford, E.; Royds, T. (1908). "Spectrum of the radium emanation". Philosophical Magazine. Series 6. 16 (92): 313. doi:10.1080/14786440808636511. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ Longair, M. S. (2003). Theoretical concepts in physics: an alternative view of theoretical reasoning in physics. Cambridge University Press. pp. 377–378. ISBN 978-0-521-52878-8. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Rutherford, E. (1919). "Collision of α particles with light atoms. IV. An anomalous effect in nitrogen". The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science. Series 6. 37 (222): 581–587. doi:10.1080/14786440608635919. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- ^ Rutherford, E. (1920). "Bakerian Lecture. Nuclear Constitution of Atoms". Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 97 (686): 374–400. Bibcode:1920RSPSA..97..374R. doi:10.1098/rspa.1920.0040.