Abstract
THE spectrum of the Compton radiation from free atoms has been calculated1 and was found to consist of a band with a sharp limit towards short wavelengths. At the same time some ‘electronic Raman lines’ are supposed to exist between the limit and the line of the primary radiation. In the case of solids, this picture should be modified because the discrete energy-levels are replaced by energy bands. The form of the spectrum will depend on the density distribution of states in the highest occupied energy-zone and in the free zone above it. The sharp limit and the electronic Raman lines wrill be replaced by broad bands, possibly with a structure. If the highest occupied zone is filled and there is a forbidden zone above it—as in the case of insulators—the broad Compton band should show a limit towards short wave-lengths. The energy shift between this limit and the primary line will be equal to the breadth of the forbidden zone. Although most experiments on Compton scattering have been carried out on solids, such a structure has not yet been observed because of the short wave-lengths used. In the following an account is given of experiments showing the above effect.
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References
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Coulson, C. A., Nature, 159, 265 (1947).
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ALEXOPOULOS, K., BROGREN, G. Spectrum of the Compton Radiation from Solids. Nature 170, 886 (1952). https://doi.org/10.1038/170886a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/170886a0
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