Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/ia/paper-4/9a/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ia Paper 4 9A a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Use momentum conservation and conservation of energy in the laboratory inertial frame. The photon has momentum magnitude , while the outgoing Electron satisfies the relativistic energy-momentum relation. Its total energy and momentum obeySubstitute these into . Cancelling and gives . Both photon energies are positive, so division yieldsThis is Compton scattering. The energies include the Electron's rest energy; using only its kinetic energy in the mass-shell equation would give the wrong result. The outgoing photon has unchanged energy at and smaller energy for a nonzero scattering angle.
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