DavissonGermerkísérletben

The Davisson-Germer experiment, conducted in 1927 by Clinton Davisson and Lester Germer at Bell Labs, provided crucial experimental evidence for the wave nature of electrons. Building on Louis de Broglie's hypothesis that matter, like light, exhibits wave-like properties, Davisson and Germer investigated the scattering of electrons by a nickel crystal.

Their setup involved directing a beam of electrons at a polished nickel surface. They observed that the electrons scattered at specific angles, forming a diffraction pattern. This pattern was analogous to the diffraction patterns produced when X-rays, known to be electromagnetic waves, were scattered by crystals. The angular distribution of the scattered electrons could be explained by treating the electrons as waves with a wavelength related to their momentum, precisely as predicted by de Broglie's equation.

The experiment demonstrated that electrons, previously thought of solely as particles, possessed wave properties, a concept known as wave-particle duality. This groundbreaking discovery was a cornerstone in the development of quantum mechanics. Davisson and Germer were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1937 for their work, shared with George Paget Thomson, who independently performed similar experiments with electron diffraction. The Davisson-Germer experiment remains a classic example illustrating the counter-intuitive nature of quantum phenomena and the fundamental role of experimental observation in scientific advancement.