American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) Practice Exam

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Prepare for the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists Test with engaging quizzes and detailed explanations. Boost your test readiness with multiple-choice questions designed to enhance your knowledge and confidence.

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What interaction occurs primarily with low energy photons?

Photoelectric effect
Compton scatter
Pair production
Rayleigh scatter

The correct answer is: Compton scatter

The photoelectric effect is the interaction that primarily occurs with low-energy photons. In this process, a photon is completely absorbed by an atom, resulting in the ejection of an inner-shell electron. The likelihood of this interaction increases as photon energy decreases. In contrast to the photoelectric effect, Compton scattering primarily happens with intermediate energy photons. It involves the partial transfer of energy from a photon to a loosely bound outer-shell electron, leading to the electron being ejected and the photon being deflected with reduced energy. Pair production occurs at very high photon energies (greater than 1.022 MeV) and involves the conversion of a photon into a particle and its antiparticle, typically an electron-positron pair. Therefore, it is not relevant to low energy photons. Rayleigh scatter involves elastic scattering of photons, where the photon changes direction without a loss of energy, and is more significant at low energies. However, it does not involve the absorption of photons like the photoelectric effect does. In summary, while Compton scattering is not the correct choice, understanding the processes and energy requirements of each interaction is essential for grasping radiologic physics concepts.