Which effect describes the energy transfer from a photon to an electron that results in ejection from the atom?

The answer is identified as the photoelectric effect. This phenomenon occurs when a photon with sufficient energy interacts with an atom and transfers all of its energy to an electron. As a result, the electron can overcome the binding energy that holds it within the atom and is ejected, resulting in ionization of that atom. This energy transfer is crucial in various medical imaging techniques, such as X-ray imaging, where it contributes to the absorption of X-rays by tissues.

The photoelectric effect is characterized by the fact that the incident photon must have energy greater than or equal to the binding energy of the electron in the atom to induce ejection. Thus, beyond simply scattering or transferring energy to an electron in a less impactful manner, the atom is transformed into an ion with this process.

In contrast, Rayleigh scattering involves the elastic scattering of photons by atoms without the deposition of energy into the electrons. The Compton effect relates to the inelastic scattering of photons, where they collide with electrons and transfer only a portion of their energy, resulting in a lower-energy photon and a scattered electron but not necessarily ejecting the electron completely from the atom. Photoionization is often used to describe the ionization of an atom due to absorption of a photon but does not