Notebook16

SammyPuccini

Coherent:
Alsoknownasclassical,unmodified,elasticscatter.(Rayleigh:involvesallofthe
electronsoftheatomintheinteraction&ThomsonScatter:involvesasingleelectronin
theinteraction)
Whenverylowenergyphoton(<10keV)interactswiththeelectroninanatomitmay
causeelectronstovibrateatthesamefrequencyastheincidentphoton.Excitedatom
immediatelyreleasesthisexcessenergybyproducingasecondaryphotonthathasthe
sameenergyandwavelengthastheincidentphotonbutthattravelsinadirectiondiff
fromtheinitialphoton.Thisresultsasascatteredphotonthatpossessesthesameenergy,
frequency,andwavelengthastheinitialbutittravelinginadiffdirection.Little
significancefordiagnosticimaging
Photoninteractswithwholeatom
Excitationevent,noionization

Compton:occurswhenincidentxrayphotoninteractswithalooselyboundoutershell
electron,removestheelectronfromitsshellandthenproceedsinadiffdirectionasa
scatteredphoton.Partoftheenergyofincidentphotonisusedtoremovetheoutershell
electronandgivekineticenergytoit.ThisdislodgedelectroniscalledaCompton,or
recoilelectron.ThephotonthatexitstheatominadiffdirectioniscalledaCompton
scatteredphoton

Photoelectric:resultinxrayphotoninteractswithinnershellelectron.Thisismost
likelytooccurwhenincidentxrayphotonpossessesaslightlygreaterenergythanthe
bindingenergyoftheelectronsintheinnershells.Incidentphotonejectstheelectron
fromitsinnershellandistotallyabsorbedintheinteraction.Theresultisanionizedatom
andanejectedelectroncalledaphotoelectron

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