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Compton effect

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
Compton effect
n.
The increase in wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, especially of an x-ray or a gamma-ray photon, scattered by an electron.
[After Arthur Holly Compton.]
Compton effect [ˈkɒmptən]
n
(Physics / General Physics) a phenomenon in which a collision between a photon and a particle results in an increase in the kinetic energy of the particle and a corresponding increase in the wavelength of the photon
[named after Arthur Holly Compton (1892-1962), US physicist]
Compton effect
An increase in the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, especially of x-rays or gamma-rays, when the photons constituting the radiation collide with free electrons. As a result of the Compton effect, the photons transfer some of their energy to the electrons. It is mainly through the Compton effect that matter absorbs radiant energy.


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