在原子物理学里，拉塞福散射（英语：Rutherford scattering）是一个散射实验，由欧尼斯特·拉塞福领队设计与研究，成功地于 1909 年证实在原子的中心有个原子核，也导至拉塞福模型（行星模型）的创立，及后来波耳模型的提出。应用拉塞福散射的技术与理论，拉塞福背散射（Rutherford backscattering）是一种专门分析材料的技术。拉塞福散射有时也被称为库仑散射，因为它涉及的位势乃库仑位势。深度非弹性散射（deep inelastic scattering）也是一种类似的散射，在 60 年代，常用来探测原子核的内部。

Rutherford scattering is the elastic scattering of charged particles by the Coulomb interaction. It is a physical phenomenon explained by Ernest Rutherford in 1911 that led to the development of the planetary Rutherford model of the atom and eventually the Bohr model. It is now exploited by the materials analytical technique Rutherford backscattering. Rutherford scattering was first referred to as Coulomb scattering because it relies only upon static electric (Coulomb) forces, and the minimal distance between particles is set only by this potential. The classical Rutherford scattering of alpha particles against gold nuclei is an example of "elastic scattering" because the energy and velocity of the outgoing scattered particle is the same as that with which it began.