Particle Wave Duality
Particle Wave Duality
Particle Wave Duality
• Electron diffraction
• Interference of matter-waves
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WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY
Hertz J.J. Thomson
PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT
When UV light is shone on a metal plate in a vacuum,
it emits charged particles (Hertz 1887), which were
later shown to be electrons by J.J. Thomson (1899).
Vacuum Light,
frequency ν Classical expectations
chamber
Metal Collecting Electric field E of light exerts
plate plate force F=-eE on electrons. As
intensity of light increases, force
increases, so KE of ejected
electrons should increase.
Electrons should be emitted
whatever the frequency ν of the
I light, so long as E is sufficiently
Ammeter large
For very low intensities, expect a
Potentiostat time lag between light exposure
and emission, while electrons
absorb enough energy to escape
from material
WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY
PHOTOELECTRIC
Actual results:
EFFECT
Einstein’s
(cont) Einstein
interpretation
Maximum KE of ejected (1905):
electrons is independent of
intensity, but dependent on ν Light comes in
packets of energy
For ν<ν0 (i.e. for frequencies
below a cut-off frequency) no
(photons) E h Millikan
electrons are emitted An electron
There is no time lag. absorbs a single
However, rate of ejection of photon to leave
electrons depends on light the material
intensity.
θ
Target
Before After p
Incoming
scattered photon
photon
θ
p
Electron LoJ
pe scattered electron
WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY
Before After p
Incoming scattered photon
photon θ
p
Electro
n pe scattered electron
since mN > me
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WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY
In 1923 Prince Louis de Broglie postulated that ordinary matter can have
wave-like properties, with the wavelength λ related to momentum
p in the same way as for light
θi Path
a cos i difference:
a(cos r cos i )
θr
Constructive interference
a
when
a(cos r cos i ) n
Electron scattering
dominated by
surface layers a cos r Note difference from usual “Bragg‟s
Law” geometry: the identical
Note θi and θr not scattering planes are oriented
necessarily equal perpendicular to the surface
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WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY
Alternative
method of
y detection: scan
a detector
across the
d
θ plane and
record number
Incoming d sin of arrivals at
coherent beam each point
of particles (or Detecting
light) screen
D
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Neutrons, A
Zeilinger et al.
1988 Reviews of
Modern Physics 60
1067-1073
d sin
Position on screen:y D tan D
Particle
θ/2
y
Light source,
wavelength λ
Resolving power of lens:
Lens, with angular
diameter θ
y
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WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY
HEISENBERG MICROSCOPE (cont)
Photons transfer momentum to the particle when they scatter.
Magnitude of p is the same before and after the collision. Why?
p
Uncertainty in photon y-momentum
= Uncertainty in particle y-momentum
θ/
p sin / 2 p y p sin / 2 2
p
Small angle approximation
p y 2 p sin / 2 p
h
de Broglie relation givesp h / and so p y
From before y hence p y y h
HEISENBERG UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE.
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WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY
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WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY
HEISENBERG UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE
xpx / 2
yp y / 2
zpz / 2
Et / 2
Transitions between energy levels of atoms are not perfectly
sharp in frequency.
n=1
Intensity
32 Frequency
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WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY
CONCLUSIONS
Light and matter exhibit wave-particle duality