All matter is composed of atoms. Atoms are composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Rutherford's gold foil experiment disproved the plum pudding model of the atom and led to the discovery of the nuclear atom, with a small, dense nucleus surrounded by electrons. Niels Bohr refined this model by suggesting that electrons orbit the nucleus in discrete energy levels. When electrons change orbits, electromagnetic radiation is emitted or absorbed at wavelengths specific to each element.