| In a photoelectric absorption interaction,
an incoming gamma-ray transfers
virtually all of its energy to an atomic electron, usually the most
tightly bound (K-shell) electron of an atom. The atomic electron, now termed a
photoelectron, is
ejected from the atom with an energy equal to that of the initial
gamma-ray minus the binding
energy for the atomic electron:
- Ee = Eg - Eb
 Use the animation opposite to
investigate the photoelectric effect.
The ejected electron is detected as a full
energy peak in an energy spectrum. Photoelectric absorption facilitates the measurement of the
energy of a gamma-ray photon. This interaction can also lead to the creation of x-ray fluorescence.
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