Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026

Coulomb Explosion Imaging as a Tool to Distinguish Between Stereoisomers
Published on: August 18, 2017
Triple Compton effect: a photon splitting into three upon collision with a free electron
Erik Lötstedt1, Ulrich D Jentschura
1Department of Physics, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Missouri 65409-0640, USA. loetstedte@riken.jp
Abstract:
The process in which a photon splits into three after the collision with a free electron (triple Compton effect) is the most basic process for the generation of a high-energy multiparticle entangled state composed out of elementary quanta. The cross section of the process is evaluated in two experimentally realizable situations, one employing gamma photons and stationary electrons, and the other using keV photons and GeV electrons of an x-ray free electron laser. For the first case, our calculation is in agreement with the only available measurement of the differential cross section for the process under study. Our estimates indicate that the process should be readily measurable also in the second case. We quantify the polarization entanglement in the final state by a recently proposed multiparticle entanglement measure.
Related Concept Videos
Photoelectric Effect
Interpreting ¹H NMR Signal Splitting: The (n + 1) Rule
Electron Behavior
Electrons Orbit the Nucleus
Electrons are found in specific locations outside of the nucleus. The shell in which an electron resides indicates the general energy level of the electron: those closer to the nucleus have less energy,...
Electron Behavior
Electrons are negatively charged subatomic particles that are attracted to an orbit around the positively-charged nucleus of an atom. They reside in locations that are associated with energy levels called shells and are further organized into sub-shells and orbitals within each shell.
Electrons Orbit the Nucleus
Electrons are found in specific locations outside of the nucleus. The shell in which an electron resides indicates the general energy level of the electron: those closer to the...
¹³C NMR: ¹H–¹³C Decoupling
A broadband decoupling technique is used to simplify these complex, sometimes overlapping, signals. Broadband decoupling relies on a...
Double Resonance Techniques: Overview
Spin decoupling is usually achieved by...

