A certain photon after being scattered from a free electron at rest moves at an angle of 120° with respect to the incident direction. If the wavelength of the incident photon is 0.591 nm, what is the wavelength of the scattered photon?
A) 0.380 nm
B) 0 nm
C) 0.550 nm
D) 0.591 nm
E) 0.595 nm

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The change in wavelength due to Compton scattering is given by the formula: Δλ = (h/mc) * (1 - cos(θ)), where h is Planck's constant, m is the electron rest mass, c is the speed of light, and θ is the scattering angle. For θ = 120°, Δλ is approximately 0.004 nm. Adding this to the initial wavelength of 0.591 nm gives approximately 0.595 nm.

A Certain Photon After Being Scattered from a Free Electron