Compton wavelength

noun

Of a particle, the wavelength of a photon whose energy is equivalent to that particle's rest energy.

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Meanings

nounCompton wavelength (plural Compton wavelengths)

plural Compton wavelengths

  1. quantum mechanicsOf a particle, the wavelength of a photon whose energy is equivalent to that particle's rest energy.

Origin

Coined by American physicist Arthur Holly Compton in 1923.

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Cite this entry
APA

Compton wavelength. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Compton%20wavelength

MLA

“Compton wavelength.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Compton%20wavelength. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Compton wavelength,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Compton%20wavelength.

Source: Compton wavelength on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.