What happens during the Compton Effect?

The Compton Effect describes a phenomenon in which an incident photon interacts with a loosely bound outer electron of an atom. During this interaction, the photon transfers part of its energy to the electron, causing it to be ejected from the atom. As a result of this energy transfer, the photon is scattered and emerges with a decreased frequency, which corresponds to an increase in its wavelength.

The correct answer reflects this process accurately. The key aspect of the Compton Effect is that while the photon is not completely absorbed, it does lose energy in the interaction and as a result, a new photon of lower frequency is emitted. This lower frequency indicates that the photon has less energy than it initially had, which is essential to understanding the energy conservation and momentum conservation principles in quantum interactions.

Other options present ideas that do not align with the Compton Effect. For instance, the option referring to the complete absorption of photons misrepresents what occurs; in the Compton Effect, photons are not fully absorbed but rather scattered. While electrons are indeed ejected, this alone does not define the Compton process since it also involves the change in the photon's energy state. The notion of photons scattering without any loss of energy contradicts the essential characteristic of the Compton Effect