= Target normalization in Rutherford scattering rates
{title2=$S\propto\mathcal N Z^2$}
At fixed incident flux, projectile energy and detector geometry, the <Rutherford differential cross-section> gives count rate $S\propto\mathcal N Z^2$, where $\mathcal N$ is the target nuclei per unit area. Equal $\mathcal N$ gives a $Z^2$ rate ratio. Equal foil mass per area instead gives $Z^2/A$, with $A$ the atomic mass number, while equal physical thickness also requires the material <mass density>. An empirical <log-log plot> with slope $s$ supplies a different, experimentally normalized relation $S\propto A^s$. These normalizations must be specified before comparing different target elements.
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