De Broglie Waves

About This Experiment

Louis de Broglie proposed that all matter has wave-like properties with wavelength λ = h/p = h/(mv), where h is Planck's constant, p is momentum, m is mass, and v is velocity. This extends wave-particle duality from light to all matter, suggesting particles can exhibit wave behavior under appropriate conditions.

The effect is only noticeable for very small particles like electrons, where the wavelength becomes comparable to atomic dimensions. Electron diffraction experiments confirmed de Broglie's hypothesis, leading to the development of quantum mechanics and technologies like electron microscopy.