All Problems

Thermal Radiation. Quantum Nature of Light.

Problem 5.287

A photon with momentum p=1.02MeV/c,p=1.02 \mathrm{MeV} / c, where cc is the velocity of light, is scattered by a stationary free electron, changing in the process its momentum to the value p=0.255MeV/c.p^{\prime}=0.255 \mathrm{MeV} / \mathrm{c} . At what angle is the photon scattered?

Reveal Answer
sin(θ/2)=mc(pp)/2pp. Hence θ=120\sin (\theta / 2)=\sqrt{m c\left(p-p^{\prime}\right) / 2 p p^{\prime}} . \text { Hence } \theta=120^{\circ}