Matter wave

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Matter waves are a central part of the theory of quantum mechanics, being half of wave–particle duality. At all scales where measurements have been practical, matter exhibits wave-like behavior. For example, a beam of electrons can be diffracted just like a beam of light or a water wave. The concept that matter behaves like a wave was proposed by French physicist Louis de Broglie () in 1924, and so matter waves are also known as de Broglie waves. The de Broglie wavelength is the wavelength, λ, associated with a particle with momentum p through the Planck constant, h: λ = h p . {\displaystyle \lambda ={\frac {h}{p}}.} Wave-like behavior of matter has been experimentally demonstrated, first for electrons in 1927 (independently by Davisson and Germer and George Thomson) and later for other elementary particles, neutral atoms and molecules. Matter waves have more complex...

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