The Meitner–Hupfeld effect, named after
Lise Meitner
Elise Meitner ( , ; 7 November 1878 – 27 October 1968) was an Austrian-Swedish physicist who was one of those responsible for the discovery of the element protactinium and nuclear fission. While working at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute on ra ...
and
Hans-Hermann Hupfeld
Gustav Theodor Hans Hermann Hupfeld (November 28, 1905 – November 11, 1942 in Mecklenburg, Germany) was a German physicist known for his work on the scattering of gamma rays.
Early career
Hans-Hermann Hupfeld was born on his parents' far ...
, is an anomalously large scattering of
gamma rays
A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically sh ...
by heavy
elements
Element or elements may refer to:
Science
* Chemical element, a pure substance of one type of atom
* Heating element, a device that generates heat by electrical resistance
* Orbital elements, parameters required to identify a specific orbit of ...
. The effect was later explained by a broad theory from which evolved the
Standard Model
The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces ( electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions - excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying all known elementary particles. I ...
, a theory for explaining the structure of the
atomic nucleus
The atomic nucleus is the small, dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom, discovered in 1911 by Ernest Rutherford based on the 1909 Geiger–Marsden experiments, Geiger–Marsden gold foil experiment. After th ...
. The anomalous gamma-ray behavior was eventually ascribed to electron–positron pair production and annihilation.
Although Professor
Meitner was recognized for her work,
Dr.
Hupfeld Hupfeld is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Hans-Hermann Hupfeld, German physicist
*Herman Hupfeld, American songwriter
*Hermann Hupfeld, German Orientalist and Biblical commentator
*Ludwig Hupfeld
Ludwig Hupfeld (26 Novemb ...
is usually ignored, and little or no account of his life exists.
See also
*
Pair production
Pair production is the creation of a subatomic particle and its antiparticle from a neutral boson. Examples include creating an electron and a positron, a muon and an antimuon, or a proton and an antiproton. Pair production often refers ...
*
Electron-positron annihilation
References
Standard Model
History of physics
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