Investigating the Structure of the Atomic Nucleus, 1919–1956

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Thirty-Seven years ago, here in Manchester , in these laboratories, the disintegration of the nucleus of the nitrogen atom was demonstrated by Rutherford, and with this remarkable achievement the subject of nuclear physics was full born. Previous to this event the manifestations of the atomic nucleus as a complex structure were limited to the special phenomena of natural radioactivity, and, in so far as nuclear and atomic phenomena were distinguishable in terms of the Rutherford-Bohr atomic model, the nuclei of the great majority of atoms were simply heavy, charged, point particles whose structure played no role in contemporary physical science. With the limited and incredibly simple resources at his disposal Rutherford was only able to observe transmutations of the nuclei of the lighter elements, and although the gap between the artificial disintegration of the light nuclei and the spontaneous disintegration of the heavy, radioactive nuclei was not bridged until many years later, Rutherford's experiments not only clearly indicated the essentially complex structure of all atomic nuclei but also demonstrated how such structure could be explored.