Which of the following photon interactions primarily occurs at higher energy levels?

The Compton effect is the correct answer because it primarily occurs at higher energy levels of photon interactions, specifically in the range of hundreds of keV to several MeV. This process involves the inelastic scattering of photons with electrons, resulting in a change in the energy and direction of the photon as it transfers some of its energy to the electron. As the energy of the incident photon increases, the effects described by the Compton scattering become more pronounced, demonstrating the wave-particle duality of photons at these higher energy levels.

In contrast, Rayleigh scattering occurs predominantly at low energies and involves elastic scattering with minimal energy transfer, making it less prominent at higher energies. The photoelectric effect is significant at lower energies, especially below 100 keV, and decreases as photon energy increases. Pair production, while it does occur at high energies (above 1.022 MeV), is a different interaction where the energy of a photon is converted into a particle-antiparticle pair. While both pair production and the Compton effect can occur at higher energies, the Compton effect is specifically more common in the energy ranges generally encountered in many practical situations.