Sir Basil Schonland and the genesis of atomic physics in South Africa

Abstract

This paper describes and discusses, mainly in terms of principles, the experimental work on energetic electron scattering by atomic nuclei, carried out by B. F. J. (later Sir Basil) Schonland, both at the Cavendish Laboratory under the direction of Sir Ernest Rutherford, and thereafter at the University of Cape Town. The theoretical basis of this work is examined in some detail, in order to elucidate the complexity of the problem of correct data analysis. Whereas the success achieved in this area might have led to the establishment of an active research group working in the field of quantum mechanics and its application to atomic physics, the decision was made ca. 1926 to terminate these investigations in favour of a field where South Africa offered natural advantages, and where considerable research experience in electron physics would prove valuable: lightning research. Several decades would elapse before quantum mechanics as an area of active research gained a foothold in South Africa.