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Playground 11

Compton Scattering Sequence

Animate incoming and outgoing states, the two leading diagrams, and the kinematic shift. See how an electron scatters off a photon, with both direct and exchange contributions.

Animation Controls

Current scattering phase
1. Incoming electron and photon
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90°
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Scattering Physics

Compton wavelength shift
Δλ=λ′−λ=hmec(1−cos⁡θ)\Delta\lambda = \lambda' - \lambda = \frac{h}{m_e c}(1 - \cos\theta)
Energy conservation
Eγ+Ee=Eγ′+Ee′E_\gamma + E_e = E'_\gamma + E'_e
Momentum conservation
p⃗γ+p⃗e=p⃗γ′+p⃗e′\vec{p}_\gamma + \vec{p}_e = \vec{p}'_\gamma + \vec{p}'_e

The Compton effect demonstrates quantum particle-wave duality. When a photon scatters off an electron, both energy and momentum must be conserved, leading to a wavelength shift that depends on the scattering angle.

Scattering Animation

e⁻γe⁻γ'