# Matter wave

The de Broglie relations redirect here.

In quantum mechanics, the concept of matter waves or de Broglie waves reflects the wave–particle duality of matter. The theory was proposed by Louis de Broglie in 1924 in his PhD thesis.[1] The de Broglie relations show that the wavelength is inversely proportional to the momentum of a particle and it is therefore called the de Broglie wavelength. Also the frequency of matter waves, as deduced by de Broglie, is directly proportional to the total energy E (sum of its rest energy and the kinetic energy) of a particle.[2]

## Historical context

At the end of the 19th century, light was thought to consist of waves of electromagnetic fields which propagated according to Maxwell’s equations, while matter was thought to consist of localized particles (See history of wave and particle viewpoints). In 1900, this division was exposed to doubt, when, investigating the theory of black body thermal radiation, Max Planck proposed that light is emitted in discrete quanta of energy. It was thoroughly challenged in 1905. Extending Planck's investigation in several ways, including its connection with the photoelectric effect, Albert Einstein proposed that light is also propagated and absorbed in quanta. Light quanta are now called photons. These quanta would have an energy

$E=h\nu$

where $\scriptstyle \nu$ (lowercase Greek letter nu) is the frequency of the light and h is Planck’s constant. In the modern convention, frequency is symbolized by f as is done in the rest of this article. Einstein’s postulate was confirmed experimentally by Robert Millikan and Arthur Compton over the next two decades.

## The de Broglie hypothesis

Propagation of de Broglie waves in 1d – real part of the complex amplitude is blue, imaginary part is green. The probability (shown as the colour opacity) of finding the particle at a given point x is spread out like a waveform, there is no definite position of the particle. As the amplitude increases above zero the curvature decreases, so the amplitude decreases again, and vice versa – the result is an alternating amplitude: a wave. Top: plane wave. Bottom: wave packet.

De Broglie, in his 1924 PhD thesis, proposed that just as light has both wave-like and particle-like properties, electrons also have wave-like properties. The wavelength, λ, associated with an electron is related to its momentum, p through the Planck constant h:[3]

$p = \frac{h}{\lambda}.$

The relationship is now known to hold for all types of matter: all matter exhibits properties of both particles and waves.

In 1926, Erwin Schrödinger published an equation describing how a matter wave should evolve—the matter wave analogue of Maxwell’s equations—and used it to derive the energy spectrum of hydrogen.

## Experimental confirmation

Matter waves were first experimentally confirmed to occur in the Davisson-Germer experiment for electrons, and the de Broglie hypothesis has been confirmed for other elementary particles. Furthermore, neutral atoms and even molecules have been shown to be wave-like.

### Electrons

In 1927 at Bell Labs, Clinton Davisson and Lester Germer fired slow-moving electrons at a crystalline nickel target. The angular dependence of the reflected electron intensity was measured, and was determined to have the same diffraction pattern as those predicted by Bragg for x-rays. Before the acceptance of the de Broglie hypothesis, diffraction was a property that was thought to be only exhibited by waves. Therefore, the presence of any diffraction effects by matter demonstrated the wave-like nature of matter. When the de Broglie wavelength was inserted into the Bragg condition, the observed diffraction pattern was predicted, thereby experimentally confirming the de Broglie hypothesis for electrons.[5]

This was a pivotal result in the development of quantum mechanics. Just as the photoelectric effect demonstrated the particle nature of light, the Davisson–Germer experiment showed the wave-nature of matter, and completed the theory of wave-particle duality. For physicists this idea was important because it means that not only can any particle exhibit wave characteristics, but that one can use wave equations to describe phenomena in matter if one uses the de Broglie wavelength.

### Neutral atoms

Further information: Atom optics

Experiments with Fresnel diffraction[6] and an atomic mirror for specular reflection[7][8] of neutral atoms confirm the application of the de Broglie hypothesis to atoms, i.e. the existence of atomic waves which undergo diffraction, interference and allow quantum reflection by the tails of the attractive potential.[9] Advances in laser cooling have allowed cooling of neutral atoms down to nanokelvin temperatures. At these temperatures, the thermal de Broglie wavelengths come into the micrometre range. Using Bragg diffraction of atoms and a Ramsey interferometry technique, the de Broglie wavelength of cold sodium atoms was explicitly measured and found to be consistent with the temperature measured by a different method.[10]

This effect has been used to demonstrate atomic holography, and it may allow the construction of an atom probe imaging system with nanometer resolution.[11][12] The description of these phenomena is based on the wave properties of neutral atoms, confirming the de Broglie hypothesis.

The effect has also been used to explain the spatial version of the quantum Zeno effect, in which an otherwise unstable object may be stabilised by rapidly-repeated observations.[8]

### Molecules

Recent experiments even confirm the relations for molecules and even macromolecules, which are normally considered too large to undergo quantum mechanical effects. In 1999, a research team in Vienna demonstrated diffraction for molecules as large as fullerenes.[13] The researchers calculated a De Broglie wavelength of the most probable C60 velocity as 2.5 pm. More recent experiments prove the quantum nature of molecules with a mass up to 6910 amu.[14]

## de Broglie relations

The de Broglie equations relate the wavelength λ to the momentum p, and frequency f to the total energy E of a particle:[2]

 \begin{align} & \lambda = h/p\\ & f = E/h \end{align}

where h is Planck's constant. The equations can also be written as

 \begin{align} & \mathbf p = \hbar \mathbf k\\ & E = \hbar \omega\\ \end{align}

where $\hbar$ is the reduced Planck's constant, $\mathbf k$ is the wave vector, and $\omega$ is the angular frequency.

In each pair, the second equation is also referred to as the Planck-Einstein relation, since it was also proposed by Planck and Einstein.

### Special relativity

Using two formulas from special relativity, one for the relativistic momentum and one for the energy

$p = \gamma m_0v$
$E = m c^2 = \gamma m_0 c^2$

allows the equations to be written as

\begin{align}&\lambda =\,\, \frac {h}{\gamma m_0v}\, =\, \frac {h}{m_0v}\,\,\,\, \sqrt{1 - \frac{v^2}{c^2}}\\ & f = \frac{\gamma\,m_0c^2}{h} = \frac {m_0c^2}{h} \bigg/ \sqrt{1 - \frac{v^2}{c^2}} \end{align}

where $m_0$ denotes the particle's rest mass, $v$ its velocity, $\gamma$ the Lorentz factor, and $c$ the speed of light in a vacuum.[15][16][17] See below for details of the derivation of the de Broglie relations. Group velocity (equal to the particle's speed) should not be confused with phase velocity (equal to the product of the particle's frequency and its wavelength). In the case of a non-dispersive medium, they happen to be equal, but otherwise they are not.

#### Group velocity

Albert Einstein first explained the wave–particle duality of light in 1905. Louis de Broglie hypothesized that any particle should also exhibit such a duality. The velocity of a particle, he concluded, should always equal the group velocity of the corresponding wave. The magnitude of the group velocity is equal to the particle's speed.

Both in relativistic and non-relativistic quantum physics, we can identify the group velocity of a particle's wave function with the particle velocity. Quantum mechanics has very accurately demonstrated this hypothesis, and the relation has been shown explicitly for particles as large as molecules.[citation needed]

De Broglie deduced that if the duality equations already known for light were the same for any particle, then his hypothesis would hold. This means that

$v_g = \frac{\partial \omega}{\partial k} = \frac{\partial (E/\hbar)}{\partial (p/\hbar)} = \frac{\partial E}{\partial p}$

where E is the total energy of the particle, p is its momentum, ħ is the reduced Planck constant. For a free non-relativistic particle it follows that

\begin{align} v_g &= \frac{\partial E}{\partial p} = \frac{\partial}{\partial p} \left( \frac{1}{2}\frac{p^2}{m} \right)\\ &= \frac{p}{m}\\ &= v \end{align}

where m is the mass of the particle and v its velocity.

Also in special relativity we find that

\begin{align} v_g &= \frac{\partial E}{\partial p} = \frac{\partial}{\partial p} \left( \sqrt{p^2c^2+m_0^2c^4} \right)\\ &= \frac{pc^2}{\sqrt{p^2c^2 + m_0^2c^4}}\\ &= \frac{pc^2}{E} \end{align}

where $m_0$ is the rest mass of the particle and $c$ is the speed of light in a vacuum. But (see below), using that the phase velocity is $v_p=E/p=c^2/v$, therefore

\begin{align} v_g &= \frac{pc^2}{E}\\ &= \frac{c^2}{v_p}\\ &= v \end{align}

where v is the velocity of the particle regardless of wave behavior.

#### Phase velocity

In quantum mechanics, particles also behave as waves with complex phases. The phase velocity is equal to the product of the frequency multiplied by the wavelength.

By the de Broglie hypothesis, we see that

$v_\mathrm{p} = \frac{\omega}{k} = \frac{E/\hbar}{p/\hbar} = \frac{E}{p}.$

Using relativistic relations for energy and momentum, we have

$v_\mathrm{p} = \frac{E}{p} = \frac{\gamma m_0 c^2}{\gamma m_0 v} = \frac{c^2}{v} = \frac{c}{\beta}$

where E is the total energy of the particle (i.e. rest energy plus kinetic energy in kinematic sense), p the momentum, $\gamma$ the Lorentz factor, c the speed of light, and β the speed as a fraction of c. The variable v can either be taken to be the speed of the particle or the group velocity of the corresponding matter wave. Since the particle speed $v < c$ for any particle that has mass (according to special relativity), the phase velocity of matter waves always exceeds c, i.e.

$v_\mathrm{p} > c, \,$

and as we can see, it approaches c when the particle speed is in the relativistic range. The superluminal phase velocity does not violate special relativity, because phase propagation carries no energy. See the article on Dispersion (optics) for details.

### Four-vectors

Main article: Four-vector

Using the four-momentum P = (E/c, p) and the four-wavevector K = (ω/c, k), the De Broglie relations form a single equation:

 $\mathbf{P}= \hbar\mathbf{K}$

which is frame-independent.

## Interpretations

The physical reality underlying de Broglie waves is a subject of ongoing debate. Some theories treat either the particle or the wave aspect as its fundamental nature, seeking to explain the other as an emergent property. Some, such as the hidden variable theory, treat the wave and the particle as distinct entities. Yet others propose some intermediate entity that is neither quite wave nor quite particle but only appears as such when we measure one or the other property. The Copenhagen interpretation states that the nature of the underlying reality is unknowable and beyond the bounds of scientific enquiry.

Schrödinger's quantum mechanical waves are conceptually different from ordinary physical waves such as of light or sound. Ordinary physical waves are characterized by undulating real-number 'displacements' of dimensioned physical variables at each point of ordinary physical space at each instant of time. Schrödinger's waves are characterized by the undulating value of a dimensionless complex number at each point of an abstract multi-dimensional space, for example of configuration space.

At the Fifth Solvay Conference in 1927, Max Born and Werner Heisenberg reported as follows

At the same conference, Erwin Schrödinger reported likewise.

In 1955, Heisenberg reiterated this.

This conceptual difference entails that, in contrast to de Broglie's pre-quantum mechanical wave description, which is 'separable', the quantum mechanical description is 'non-separable'. A non-separable description does not express causality, the principle that causal efficacy propagates no faster than light. The physical reasoning for this was first recognized by Einstein.[21][22]

## References

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