Why can't a photon transfer all its energy to a free electron?

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SUMMARY

A photon cannot transfer all its energy to a free electron due to the conservation of both energy and momentum, necessitating the involvement of another particle or object. This principle is analogous to a scenario where a ball of mass m cannot fully transfer its kinetic energy to another ball of a different mass M. The primary interaction mechanism for a photon with a free electron is Compton scattering, rather than complete energy absorption. For further understanding, refer to the provided resource on the topic.

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ajl1989
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Why is it that a photon can't transfer all its energy to a free electron?
 
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It's imposible to conserve both energy and momentum in such a process. You need another particle or object in order to do this.
 
It's not the same thing, but there is a classical analogue of that fact: a ball of mass m cannot transfer all its kinetic energy to a ball of mass M=/=m.
 
The only way for a photon to interact with a free electron (other than photoproduction at very high energies) is via Compton scattering.
 

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