100th Anniversary of the Compton Effect: Its Discovery and Present-Day Impact on Nuclear Physics

Introduction This year is the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Compton effect, marked by A. H. Compton’s 1923 Physical Review article [1]. On this occasion, we reflect on the effect’s impact on nuclear physics and celebrate the event a century ago and the eminent scientist who made the discovery. Much of the historical comments rely on the article by R. H. Stuewer [2]. A recent Physics Today article [3] presents a historical perspective of Compton’s work and provides more details. The various applications of the Compton effect and its “derivatives” (e.g., inverse Compton scattering) impact many areas of physics and chemistry. This short article is restricted to examples taken from the authors’ surroundings: the focus is on nuclear-structure experiments with γ-spectroscopic methods and nuclear cross-section measurements relevant for astrophysics.