Can we see De Broglie Wavelength?
Physics and electronics discussion, revision, exam and homework help.
This thread is sponsored by:
| Announcements | Posted on | |
|---|---|---|
| Important: please read these guidelines before posting about exams on The Student Room | 28-04-2013 | |
-
- Reputation:
- Thread Starter
- Adored and Respected Member
- Posts: 451
Can we see De Broglie Wavelength?So in Physics we learnt about the wave-particle nature of matter and how matter has an associated wavelength called debroglie wavelength. An electron has a debroglie wavelength but we cant see the electron with our eyes. IF (hypothetical situation) the electron had a deborglie wavelength within our visible spectrum, would we be able to see the electron with our eyes? Would the electron look, blue, yellow, green, or is this not possible because these colours come from EM radiation and the debroglie wavelength is separate from EM radiation?
I guess the real question is, can we see de broglie wavelength?
Thanks -
- Reputation:
- Adored and Respected Member
- Posts: 407
Re: Can we see De Broglie Wavelength?No. De Broglie's 'matter waves' are, in fact, the very wave-functions at the heart of QM - and one of it's unique features is its unobservability.
De Broglie's own interpretation of this idea was that localised particles travelled guided by such a wave. This was not a popular idea amongst the physicists at the time, but then Schrodinger came up with an equation that showed how such waves should evolve with time, and Max Born gave the interpretation of the wave describing the probability distribution for the position of a particle. Since such waves are clearly not electromagnetic, you cant see them!
