Professional Documents
Culture Documents
4.
Theoretical Question IV
Compton scattering
A photon of wavelength is scattered by a moving, free electron. As a result the electron stops
and the resulting photon of wavelength scattered at an angle 60 with respect to the
direction of the incident photon, is again scattered by a second free electron at rest. In this
second scattering process a photon with wavelength of 1,25 10 m emerges at an
angle 60 with respect to the direction of the photon of wavelength . Find the de Broglie
wavelength for the first electron before the interaction. The following constants are known:
h 6,6 10 J s - Plancks constant
m 9,1 10 kg - mass oh the electron
c 3,0 10 m / s - speed of light in vacuum
i
10
34
31
pi
Ei
photon
final
after the
photon
first
scattering
pf
Ef
p0
momentum
Table 4.2
E0
energy
first electron
first electron second electron Second electron
wavelength i
i
f
before collision after collision
before collision after collision
0
0
momentum p1e
p2e
E 1e
E 0e
E 0e
E 2e
energy
v 1e
0
0
v 2e
speed
The image in figure 4.1 presents the situation before the first scattering of photon.
IPhO 1983
Theoretical Question IV
Figure 4.1
Figure 4.2
Figure 4.3
Figure 4.4
To characterize the initial photon we will use his momentum p i and his energy E i
h h fi
Pi
i c
( 4.0)
E h f
i i
fi
c
i
( 4.0)
For initial, free electron in motion the momentum p oe and the energy E oe are
m 0 v 1e
Poe m v 1e
1 2
E m c2
oe
m0 c 2
1 2
( 4.0)
IPhO 1983
Theoretical Question IV
where m 0 is the rest mass of electron and m is the mass of moving electron. As usual,
v
1e . De Broglie wavelength of the first electron is
c
oe
h
h
1 2
p0e m 0 v 1e
p
To characterize the scattered photon we will use his momentum 0 and his energy E 0
h h fo
Po
o c
( 4.0).
E h f
o o
where
fo
c
0
( 4.0)
Pi p oe p 0
( 4.0)
and
E i E 0e E 0 E 1e
( 4.0)
( 4.0)
Oy
is
h f0
sin
c
( 4.0)
IPhO 1983
Theoretical Question IV
h2
2
m v 1e cos 2 f0 cos fi
c
m v sin 2 h f0 sin
1e
c
( 4.0)
h2 2 2
m v 2 f0 f1 2f0 f i cos
c
2
2
1e
( 4.0)
or
m 02 c 2
2
v
1 1e
c
( 4.0)
( 4.0)
or
m0 c 2
v 1e
m 0 c 2 h f 0 f1
( 4.0)
m 02 c 4 h 2 f 0 f1 m 0 h c 2 f 0 f1
2
( 4.0)
( 4.0)
or
h
m0 c
1 cos c
f1
c
f0
( 4.0)
Using
( 4.0)
m0 c
( 4.0)
IPhO 1983
Theoretical Question IV
( 4.0)
shorter than the wavelength of initial photon and consequently the energy of scattered photon is
greater that the energy of initial photon.
i 0
Ei E0
( 4.0)
Lets analyze now the second collision process that occurs in point N . To study that, lets
consider a new referential having Ox direction on the direction of the photon scattered after
the first collision.
The figure 4.3 presents the situation before the second collision and the figure 4.4 presents the
situation after this scattering process. The conservation principle for moment in the scattering
process gives
h h
cos m v 2e cos
0 f
h sin m v sin 0
2e
f
( 4.0)
To eliminate the unknown angle must square and then add the equations (4.22)
That is
2
h h
cos m v 2e cos 2
0 f
( 4.0)
sin m v 2e sin 2
f
or
h
h
0
2h2
2
cos m v 2e
0 f
( 4.0)
( 4.0)
( 4.0)
IPhO 1983
Theoretical Question IV
and
1
1
h c
f 0
2
1
1
m 2 c 4
f 0
m 02 c 4 2h c 3 m 0
( 4.0)
h
1 cos f 0
m 0 c
1 cos
f 0
( 4.0)
That is
f 0
Ef E0
( 4.0)
f 1,25 10 10 m
6,6 10 34
m 2,41 10 12 m 0,02 10 10 m
31
8
9,1 10 3 10
( 4.0)
( 4.0)
( 4.0)
( 4.0)
clearly results
i f
( 4.0)
The energy of the double scattered photon is the same as the energy of initial photon. The
direction of final photon is the same as the direction of initial photon. Concluding, the final
photon is identical with the initial photon. The result is expected because of the symmetry of the
processes.
Extending the symmetry analyze on electrons, the first moving electron that collides the initial
photon and after that remains at rest, must have the same momentum and energy as the second
electron after the collision because this second electron is at rest before the collision.
That is
Atomics Problem IV - Solution
Page 6 from 7
IPhO 1983
Theoretical Question IV
p1e p2e
( 4.0)
E1e E 2e
Taking into account (4.24), the moment of final electron is
p2 e h
1
1
2 cos
2
2
f f 1 cos
f f 1 cos
( 4.0)
The de Broglie wavelength of second electron after scattering (and of first electron before
scattering) is
1e 2e 1
1
1
2 cos
2
2
f f 1 cos f f 1 cos
( 4.0)
( 4.0)