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De Broglie’s interest in the “mysteries” of atomic physics—that is, unsolved conceptual difficulties in the science—was piqued when he learnt about the work of German physicists Max Planck and Albert Einstein from his brother, but the decision to pursue a career as a physicist took a long time. He began studying theoretical physics at the Sorbonne at the age of 18, but he also earned a degree in history (1909), following in his father’s footsteps into the diplomatic service. After a period of intense strife, he turned down a study proposal in French history and instead chose a physics topic for his doctoral thesis.
Interference, diffraction, and polarisation are all examples of the wave nature of light.
While the photoelectric and Compton effects both entail energy and momentum transfer, radiation behaves as if it were made up of a swarm of particles, with photons demonstrating the wave’s particle composition.
Dual Nature of Matter
According to De Broglie, wave nature is symmetrical, therefore the two fundamental physical entities—matter and energy—must be symmetrical as well. Matter, like radiation, should have two sides.
De Broglie proposed that wavelength is linked to a p-momentum particle.
This wavelength is so tiny that no measurement can be made of it. This is why macroscopic things do not have wave-like qualities in everyday life.
Electromagnetic radiation, like matter, has a dual character. It also has wave-like characteristics.
De Broglie wavelength is a wavelength associated with stuff that is not a particle. It is determined by the relationship λ= h/P .
where m is the particle’s mass, v is its speed, and h is Planck’s constant
On the left-hand side of the equation, is a characteristic of a wave, whereas on the right-hand side, is a characteristic of a particle.
Louis De – Broglie
Louis de Broglie, also known as Louis-Victor-Pierre-Raymond, 7e duc de Broglie, was a French physicist who was most known for his work on quantum theory and for predicting the wave nature of electrons. He was born on August 15, 1892, in Dieppe, France, and died on March 19, 1987, in Louveciennes. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1929.
De Broglie developed his groundbreaking idea of electron waves, which he had previously published in scientific publications, in this thesis (1924). (For further information, see the de Broglie wave.) The idea that matter on the atomic scale could have wave-like qualities was based on a proposal made by Einstein 20 years ago. Einstein proposed that light of short wavelengths might be observed to behave as if it were made up of particles under certain conditions, which was confirmed in 1923. When de Broglie expanded the idea of such a duality to matter, however, the dual nature of light was just beginning to receive scientific acceptance.
Calculations of electron velocity within the atom had presented a question, and De Broglie’s proposal answered it. Experiments have shown that an electron must move around a nucleus and that this movement is restricted for unknown reasons. The confined motion was explained by De Broglie’s concept of an electron with wave characteristics. Because any wave shape that did not fit inside the atomic bounds would interfere with itself and be wiped out, a wave contained within the constraints set by the nuclear charge would be restricted in shape and consequently in velocity.
Matter Waves
Lewis de-Broglie postulated in 1924 that matter, like radiation, has a dual nature. His theory of matter’s dual nature was founded on the following observations:-
Matter and electromagnetic radiations make up the entirety of the universe. Because they are both types of energy, they can be converted into one another.
Matter is drawn to symmetry. Because radiation has a dual nature, matter should have a dual nature as well.
As per the de Broglie concept of matter waves, matter has a two-fold aspect. It means that when matter is moving, wave qualities (such as interference, diffraction, and so on) are connected with it, and when it is at rest, particle attributes are associated with it. As a consequence, the situation has a split personality. Matter waves, also known as de-Broglie waves, are related to moving particles.
Conclusion
De Broglie was the second son of a nobleman from France. Since the 17th century, high-ranking soldiers, statesmen, and diplomats have hailed from the Broglie family, whose name is derived from a small hamlet in Normandy. Louis de Broglie, like his brother Maurice, defied family tradition by pursuing science as a career (from whom, after his death, Louis inherited the title of duke). Maurice, a physicist who made significant contributions to the experimental study of the atomic nucleus, maintained a well-equipped laboratory in the family mansion in Paris. Louis occasionally assisted his brother in his work, although he was more interested in the purely intellectual aspects of physics. He characterised himself as “having much more the state of mind of a pure theoretical than that of an experimental or engineer, loving especially the comprehensive and philosophical vision,” and “having much more the state of mind of a pure theoretician than that of an experimenter or engineer.” During World War I, he had one of his few encounters with technical parts of physics when he watched army service on a radio station in the Eiffel Tower.
