materiewave

Materiewave is a term that describes the quantum mechanical concept of wave-particle duality applied to matter. It posits that all matter, not just light, exhibits wave-like properties. This means that particles like electrons, protons, and even larger objects possess a wavelength that is inversely proportional to their momentum. The concept was first mathematically described by Louis de Broglie in 1924 in his doctoral thesis, proposing that moving particles could be associated with a wave.

The de Broglie wavelength is given by the equation λ = h/p, where λ is the wavelength, h is Planck's constant, and p is the momentum of the particle. For macroscopic objects, the momentum is very large, resulting in an extremely small wavelength that is undetectable by current experimental methods. However, for microscopic particles, such as electrons, the wavelength is significant enough to be observed.

Experimental evidence for materiewaves came with the diffraction of electrons by crystalline structures, first demonstrated by Clinton Davisson and Lester Germer in 1927, and independently by George Paget Thomson. These experiments showed that electrons, when passed through a crystal lattice, produced diffraction patterns characteristic of waves. This confirmed de Broglie's hypothesis and was a foundational step in the development of quantum mechanics. The understanding of materiewaves is crucial in fields like electron microscopy and quantum computing.