During which interaction with matter does the x-ray photon convert to matter in the form of two electrons?

The interaction in which an x-ray photon converts to matter in the form of two electrons is known as pair production. This process occurs when the energy of an incoming photon is transformed into a particle-antiparticle pair, specifically an electron and its antimatter counterpart, a positron. For pair production to take place, the photon must possess energy greater than 1.022 MeV, which is the combined rest mass energy of the two particles produced.

Upon interacting with a strong electromagnetic field—typically around a nucleus of an atom—the photon relinquishes its energy to create the electron-positron pair. This interaction highlights the relationship between energy and matter as described by Einstein's famous equation (E=mc^2).

The other forms of interactions mentioned, such as photoelectric absorption and Compton scattering, involve the transfer of energy and momentum without the direct creation of matter. Rayleigh scattering, on the other hand, refers to the elastic scattering of low-energy photons without energy loss or the creation of particles. Therefore, pair production is distinctly characterized by the creation of mass from photon energy, making it the correct answer to the question regarding the conversion of x-ray photons into matter.