Wave-particle duality and quantum physics explained

Quantum physics began to gain importance at the beginning of the 20th century, when the German physicist Max Planck put forward the hypothesis of quantization of energy. Years later, Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger and Others continued this work, developing important concepts such as wave-particle duality.

French physicist Louis de Broglie became famous for introducing the concept of wave-particle duality in mid-1924.. This concept explains that particles such as electrons and photons in quantum mechanics can behave like waves, depending on the type of experiment performed.

Broglie’s thesis is considered a landmark in science as it had a significant impact on the advancement of quantum mechanics.. Just three years later, an experiment conducted by American physicists Clinton Davisson and Lester Germer proved wave-particle duality. Thus began a period of intense research and discovery in quantum physics.

Before the theory of wave-particle duality, scientists debated whether light was a wave or composed of particles. In 1905, Albert Einstein proposed that light could exhibit both behaviors: Depends on the trial format.

“Wave-particle duality is the property of physical entities such as light and electrons to exhibit both wave and particle properties. “French physicist Louis de Broglie proposed in 1924 that electrons and other discrete bits of matter, previously considered merely material particles, also have wave properties such as wavelength and frequency.” Britannica tells.

Wave, particle and quantum physics

First of all, it is important to understand what waves and particles are. A particle can be likened to a grain of salt, sand, atoms or electrons. Just like marble, particles gain kinetic energy as they move.

Waves propagate from one point to another, carrying energy, like waves in a swimming pool. Unlike particles, waves do not transport matter; They transfer energy only through oscillations in the medium in which they spread.

You may not have noticed the differences yet, but imagine two particles moving in opposite directions: The result will be a collision with energy exchange or orbital change.

When waves meet, they do not collide; They interact through the phenomenon of superposition, here they continue to spread through each other. During this interaction, some interference may occur where the amplitudes of the waves combine to increase or decrease the intensity.

When scientists discovered that light, known as a waveform, could behave like a particle, they began to question whether the same thing could happen to electrons and atoms. From that moment on, research in the field of quantum physics increased even more.

In an article published on the website SpeechTim Davis, CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering researcher He states that it has already been proven that subatomic particles can exhibit wave behavior. Davis explains that in an experiment with electrons, the devices detected a diffraction pattern similar to that observed in waves.

Wave-particle duality

The wave-particle duality depends on the conditions and behavior of the experiment. For example, a wave may maintain its wave-like behavior throughout its propagation; but under certain conditions it can be confined as a particle.

Various scientific experiments have already shown that subatomic particles, such as atoms, can exhibit wave properties in certain situations. Therefore, some in the scientific community suggest that everything in the universe could potentially exhibit certain wave properties.

In any case, it is important to emphasize that the topic is much broader than the brief description presented in this article. It’s no surprise that scientists are trying to understand the details of how this phenomenon happens.

Find up-to-date information about quantum physics at TecMundo. If you want, take the opportunity to understand the science behind Schrödinger’s cat paradox. Until later!