ONE FORMULA, ONE ANSWER
Compton Scattering Wavelength Shift Calculator
Calculate the photon wavelength increase when scattering from an initially stationary free target. Choose input units and calculate one value within the stated conditions.
Inputs
Calculations run in this browser. Scientific notation such as 1.2e-3 is supported. Do not group thousands.
Result
Wavelength increase Δλ
Enter values and select Calculate.
Δλ = (h/(mc))(1−cos θ) = (2h/(mc))sin²(θ/2)
Assumptions
Required: m>0 and 0≤θ≤π. θ is the angle between the incident and scattered photon directions. The target is an initially stationary free particle. Excluded: binding, collective scattering and medium effects. The output is the wavelength increase. An equivalent sine-squared form avoids cancellation at small angles.
Displayed values are floating-point approximations. Design safety factors and unprovided error contributions are not calculated.
Formula references and credits
NaNa Lab created the code, descriptions, icons and preview images. Text, figures and code from the linked references have not been reproduced.
Physical constants: NIST / CODATA 2022. The values of μ₀ and ε₀ are measured recommendations, not exact defining constants. Values and precision notes are in the source record.
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