Abstract
Prior to the actual discovery of the neutron in 1932, it had long been suspected, in part due to a suggestion by Ernest Rutherford in 1920, that a heavy neutral particle existed as a constituent of the atomic nucleus.1 The discovery of the neutron, as with many of the early discoveries in nuclear physics, was accidental. In the bombardment of beryllium by alpha particles from a naturally radioactive source, a very penetrating radiation had been observed in experiments begun in 1928. In view of its penetrating power, it was first thought to be gamma radiation, but the radiation was found to eject energetic protons from paraffin, which would not have been possible with gamma rays.
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(2004). Nuclear Fission. In: Nuclear Energy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-26931-2_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-26931-2_6
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
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