Mott scattering

Correction to Coulomb potential due to spin-orbit coupling. The Coulomb potential, result of the interaction of the electron with the charged nucleus is shown in green. The new potential for spin up (blue) and spin down (red) electrons are shown after spin-orbit corrections have been taken into account

In physics, Mott scattering is elastic electron scattering from nuclei. It is a form of Coulomb scattering that requires treatment of spin-coupling. It is named after Nevill Francis Mott, who first developed the theory in 1929.

Mott scattering is similar to Rutherford scattering but electrons are used instead of alpha particles as they do not interact via the strong interaction (only through weak interaction and electromagnetism), which enable electrons to penetrate the atomic nucleus, giving valuable insight into the nuclear structure.

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