Louis de Broglie
Proposed the wave nature of electrons and suggested that all matter has wave-like properties.
Most quoted
"The fundamental idea of my thesis was the following: The experiment of Young, the diffraction of X-rays, the photoelectric effect, the Compton effect, all these phenomena show that light has a dual nature, sometimes wave, sometimes corpuscle. Why should not matter also have a dual nature?"
— from Nobel Lecture, 1929
"The idea of wave-particle duality, which is at the heart of quantum mechanics, was born from the realization that light, previously considered a wave, also exhibits particle-like properties, and conversely, matter, previously considered particles, also exhibits wave-like properties."
— from General writings/lectures
"In space-time, everything which for each of us constitutes the past, the present, and the future is given in block... Each observer, as his time passes, discovers, so to speak, new slices of space-time which appear to him as successive aspects of the material world."
— from The Revolution in Physics
All quotes by Louis de Broglie (397)
The true scientist must be willing to challenge established paradigms and embrace new ways of thinking.
The elegance of the equations often reveals a deeper truth about the physical world.
I found great joy in the process of intellectual exploration, even when it led to dead ends.
The quantum revolution has fundamentally altered our perception of the cosmos.
My work was an attempt to bring a sense of unity to the disparate phenomena of light and matter.
The idea of wave-particle duality, which is at the heart of quantum mechanics, was born from the realization that light, previously considered a wave, also exhibits particle-like properties, and conversely, matter, previously considered particles, also exhibits wave-like properties.
It was in 1923, while I was still a student, that I had the idea of associating a wave with every particle of matter.
The fundamental idea of my thesis was that, just as light has both wave and particle aspects, so too must matter have both aspects.
The wave nature of matter is not just a mathematical artifice; it is a profound reality.
The electron, which we had always considered as a tiny billiard ball, must also be considered as a wave.
My work was a generalization of Einstein's idea of light quanta.
The wave associated with a particle is not a physical wave in the classical sense, but rather a probability wave.
The experimental confirmation of electron diffraction by Davisson and Germer, and by G.P. Thomson, was a great triumph for my theory.
Quantum mechanics, with its probabilistic interpretation, has profoundly changed our understanding of reality.
The future of physics lies in a deeper understanding of the relationship between waves and particles.
The concept of wave-particle duality is one of the most revolutionary ideas in the history of science.
I believe that the wave-particle duality is a universal principle, applicable to all forms of matter and energy.
My initial idea was met with skepticism, but eventually, it gained acceptance.
The development of quantum mechanics was a collective effort, with many brilliant minds contributing to its formulation.
The wave associated with a particle is not a classical wave, but rather a guide wave that directs the particle's motion.
Contemporaries of Louis de Broglie
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Louis de Broglie (1892–1987).