How does the process of the photoelectric effect differ for visible light and X-rays?
As described by Einstein, the actual process of the photoelectric effect is identical for both UV light and X-rays. However, the wavelength of X-rays is significantly smaller than that of visible light. This means that long wavelength (lower energy) electromagnetic radiation (i.e. UV light) is suited to probe the outer shell electronic structure of atoms, while shorter wavelength (higher energy) electromagnetic radiation (i.e. X-rays) can be used to probe the inner shell electrons.
