Question

The Compton wavelength shift depends on
A) Wavelength of the incident photon
B) Material of the scatterer
C) Energy of the incident photon
D) Scattering angle

Answer 1

Hint:Compton effect is used for an unusual result observed when X-rays are scattered on some materials. In Compton effect, when an electromagnetic wave is scattered off atoms, the scattered radiation is expected to be the same as the wavelength of the incident radiation.

Complete step by step answer:
Let us first understand what Compton effect is:
Compton effect is observed when X-rays or gamma rays are scattered on a material with an increase in their wavelengths. It was found that wavelength is independent of the intensity of the incident radiation. The Compton wavelength depends on the angle of scattering and on the wavelength of the incident beam. The formula to find the Compton wavelength is as follows:

${\lambda _S} - {\lambda _0} = \dfrac{h}{{{m_0}c}}(1 - \cos \theta )$
Here, ${\lambda _S},{\lambda _0}$ are the peak radiation spectrum
${m_0}$ is the rest mass of the electron.
$c$ is the speed of light
$\theta $ is the angle at which the radiation is scattered
$\dfrac{h}{{{m_0}c}}$ is the Compton wavelength of the electron.
Clearly, we can see that the Compton wavelength is dependent on the scattering angle.

Therefore, option D is the correct option.

Additional details:Compton effect is different from photoelectric electric effect. The scattering observed in Compton effect is inelastic. The energy associated with free electrons in case of Compton effect is mid-energy while the energy associated with electrons in photoelectric effect is low-energy.

Note:Compton effect is different from photoelectric effect. The wavelength of scattered photon is higher than incident photon in case of Compton effect while no such wavelength is observed in photoelectric effect. The angle mentioned in the formula is the scattering angle.