Question

Why was a spherical sulfide screen used in the Alpha$\left(\mathrm{\alpha }\right)$ Ray scattering experiment?

Answer 1

In Rutherford's Alpha$\left(\mathrm{\alpha }\right)$ Ray scattering experiment, the gold foil was surrounded by a circular fluorescent zinc sulfide screen. Whenever a particle struck the screen, it produced a flash of light. this light is used to observe scintillations even if the Alpha$\left(\mathrm{\alpha }\right)$ Ray deflects at a large angle.