What is Compton scattering?

Compton scattering, discovered by Arthur Holly Compton, is the scattering of a high frequency photon after an interaction with a stationary charged particle, usually an electron. If it results in a decrease in energy of the photon , it is called the Compton effect. Part of the energy of the photon is transferred to the recoiling electron. Inverse Compton scattering occurs when a charged particle transfers part of its energy to a photon.