(komp′tŏn)

[Arthur H. Compton, U.S. physicist and Nobel laureate, 1892-1962]
An interaction between x-rays and matter in which the incoming photon ejects a loosely bound outer-shell electron. The resulting change in the direction of the x-ray photon causes scatter, increasing the dose and degrading the radiographic image. Most interactions between x-rays and matter are of this type, esp. at high energies.
SEE: scatter