Deep Inelastic Scattering
Quantum and Nuclear
Episode 537: Preparation for the deep scattering and quarks topics
Teaching Guidance
for 16-19
Explore the fact that nucleons are not fundamental particles but contain different parts.
Main aims of this topic
Students will:
- know that Rutherford’s experiment, using alpha particles, cannot probe the nucleus because the alpha particles will interact with the nucleus by the strong nuclear force
- know that electrons, being leptons, do not
feel
the strong nuclear force, and so can probe the nucleus - use electron wavelength and scattering data to calculate the size of the nucleus
- understand that the complex scattering from a nucleus reveals that nucleons are not simple points, but are themselves composed of smaller particles
- describe how hadrons are made from two or three quarks
- deduce the properties of a hadron from the properties of its constituent quarks
- draw Feynman diagrams involving quarks and gluons
Prior knowledge
Rutherford’s experiment, diffraction, and the quantum nature of electrons (wave-particle duality
).
If you have not covered diffraction already, you will have to modify the suggested approach to take account of this.